COMMITMENTS 279
occupation of the liberated territories of Turkey
in Asia.
Meanwhile no time was lost in endeavouring to
frame a policy for those territories which were
likely to remain in the sphere of British influence as
a result of the impending settlement. The Eastern
Committee of the Cabinet, which was subsequently
replaced by an Interdepartmental Conference on
Middle Eastern Affairs, considered the whole ques-
tion at a series of meetings held in the last months
of 19185 and at one' of these Lawrence gave
his views on the future of the Arab countries, which
included the creation of three Sherifian States, in
Syria, Upper Mesopotamia, and Lower Mesopo-
tamia respectively, under three of the sons of King
Hussein of the Hejaz. This suggestion was tele-
graphed out to Colonel A. T. Wilson, who was now
Acting Civil Commissioner in Mesopotamia, for his
comments. These were given with characteristic
downrightness, but they included a statement that
an Arab State to include Basrah, Baghdad and Mosul,
under an Arab Amir, would be regarded locally as
an ideal solution for Mesopotamia. Also that a son
of King Hussein would meet with widespread
acceptance in Baghdad, and would probably be well
received elsewhere, but that there were objections
to the immediate appointment of an Arab Amir.
In conclusion Colonel Wilson suggested the return
of Sir Percy Cox as High Commissioner, with a
Government of Arab ministers backed by British
advisers. He had already expressed the view, in a
series of trenchant comments on the Anglo-French
declaration of 1918, that Mesopotamia as a whole
neither expected nor desired any such sweeping
scheme of independence as it foreshadowed, and
19