T. E. Lawrence Correspondence – Page 130

LH 1/13/42 made straight the tangle, finding solutions which fulfilled (I think) our promises in letter and spirit, so far as was humanly possible, without sacrificing any interest of ours, or any interest of the peoples concerned. We we were out of the far-time Eastern adventure, with clean hands, but 3 years too late. You will not agree; but Winston gave me a nearly free hand in 1921; and so far as my wife and I were possible to get a peaceful settlement which should allow a chance of progressive modification either towards self-government, out there, or towards administration by us, as things went ill or well. I need hardly tell you (who have read the book) that I never dreamed of a hegemony for old Bassidu, or of an Arab confed- eration as practical politics: though some headship would accrue either to Baghdad or Damascus, if either made a real job of governing itself. We put Feisal into Iraq as interim head. Under Arnold Wilson no native government could have arisen. He was too thick a tree. Poor Y. is a wraith, and will not shunt any local growth. If the Arabs are worth anything, they now have their chance. My opinion is that all that is best in their character is opposed to organized government. But that may be prejudice. I'm a nihilist, philosophically ! I needn't warn you against the mushy "Prince of Yemen" class of writing. I don't think I ever did a thing during the cam- paigns out of sheer swank or love of it. A critic (and I'm a critic incarnate) can't act without some plausible reason. God help us ! What a horror to send a man who is good enough to tell me, before he does it, that he is going to write something upon the Hejas affair. Don't, unless you really wish it, send me your arti- cles. I seldom read the papers, and am not likely ever to come across them. The fates (beneficent this time) have put me into Cra'nell, a quiet station. Fifteen of us are responsible for the good order of six aeroplanes, on which cadets learn to fly. A comfortable job, to earn a living once. It is comfortable, because no safe-guarding, to earn a living with one's hands. If the weather was always warm and I was sometimes able to be alone, life would be perfect. The R.A.F. is a very good thing. When you have finished the volume would you stick it into a large envelope and post it to