8       THE PARIS PEACE. CONFERENCE, 1919, VOLUME V
against Turkey, but Arab help had been essential; that was a point
on which General Allenby could speak.
GENERAL ALLENBY said it had been invaluable.
MR. LLOYD GEORGE, continuing, said that it was on the basis of
the above quoted letter that King Hussein had put all his resources
into the field which had helped us most materially to win the vic-
tory. France had for practical purposes accepted our undertaking
to King Hussein in signing the 1916 agreement. This had not been
M. Pichon, but his predecessors. He was bound to say that if the
British Government now agreed that Damascus, Homs, Hama, and
Aleppo should be included in the sphere of direct French influence,
they would be breaking faith with the Arabs, and they could not
face this. He was particularly anxious for M. Clemenceau to fol-
low this. The agreement of 1916 had been signed subsequent to
the letter to King Hussein. In the following extract from the
agreement of 1916 France recognised Arab independence:-
"It is accordingly understood between the French and British
Governments.-
(1) That France and Great Britain are prepared to recognise
and uphold an independent Arab State or Confederation
of Arab States in the areas A. and B. marked on the
annexed map under the suzerainty of an Arab Chief."
Hence France, by this act, practically recognised our agreement
with King Hussein by excluding Damascus, Homs, Hama, and
Aleppo from the blue zone of direct administration, for the map
attached to the agreement showed that Damascus, Homs, Hama and
Aleppo were included, not in the zone of direct administration, but
in the independent Arab State.
M. PICHON said that this had never been contested, but how could
France be bound by an agreement the very existence of which was
unknown to her at the time when the 1916 agreement was signed?
In the 1916 agreement France had not in any way recognised the
Hedjaz. She had undertaken to uphold "an independent Arab
State or Confederation of Arab States", but not the King of the
Hedjaz. If France was promised a mandate for Syria, she would
undertake to do nothing except in agreement with the Arab State
or Confederation of States. This is the role which France demanded
in Syria. If Great Britain would only promise her good offices,
he believed that France could reach an understanding with Feisal.
PRESIDENT WILSON said that he would now seek to establish his
place in the Conference. Up to the present he had had none. He
could only be here, like his colleague M. Orlando, as one of the repre-
sentatives assembled to establish the peace of the world. This was
his only interest, although, of courses he was a friend of both parties