ABSTRACT

In February 1918, William Yale found out that CUP leaders had realized their mistake in trying to Turkify the Arab people and had changed their policy drastically. In an effort to persuade the Arabs that their only salvation lay within the Ottoman fold, they were prepared to offer them full-scale autonomy and even transformation of the empire into a dual Turkish-Arab state with a strong Islamic and anti-British bias. The armistice was signed on October 30, 1918, on the British battle-ship Agamemnon at Port Mudros on the Greek Island of Lemnos. All the twenty-five provisions were exceedingly harsh. Both Djavid and Tala'at assiduously courted Abram Elkus, the American ambassador, in the apparent hope that they might secure America's backing in case of emergency. Both Chaim Weizmann and James Malcolm, leader of the Armenian community in England, were greatly perturbed. They feared that their respective interests might be gravely prejudiced and made strong representations to the Foreign Office.