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January 30, 1916 Sir Henry McMahon

McMahon LetterSir,

Many references have been made in the Palestine Royal Commission Report and in the course of the recent debates in both Houses of Parliament to the ‘McMahon Pledge’, especially to that portion of the pledge which concerns Palestine and of which one interpretation has been claimed by the Jews and another by the Arabs.

It has been suggested to me that continued silence on the part of the giver of that pledge may itself be misunderstood.

I feel, therefore, called upon to make some statement on the subject, but I will confine myself in doing so to the point now at issue― i.e. whether that portion of Syria now known as Palestine was or was not intended to be included in the territories in which the independence of the Arabs was guaranteed in my pledge.

I feel It my duty to state, and I do so definitely and emphatically, that it was not intended by me in giving this pledge to King Hussein to include Palestine in the area in which Arab independence was promised.

I ALSO HAD EVERY REASON TO BELIEVE AT THE TIME THAT THE FACT THAT PALESTINE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN MY PLEDGE WAS WELL UNDERSTOOD BY KING HUSSEIN.

5, Wilton Place, S.W.I.                                                                                  Yours faithfully,

July 22.                                                                                                                       A. Henry McMahon

Source: (March 16th, 1939 Report of Committee set up to consider Certain Correspondence between Sir Henry McMahon [HIS MAJESTY’S HIGH COMMISSIONER IN EGYPT] and The Sharif of Mecca) Cmd.5984

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