ABSTRACT
At the end of May, a self-appointed committee of fifteen persons asked Wilson to transmit their views to the British government. Wilson refused to accept them as "representatives of the Iraqi nation" and invited an additional forty persons, all notables of Baghdad, regardless of their political affiliations, including representatives of the Jewish and Christian communities. Wilson warned the delegates that the British government might be compelled to resort to military force. They replied that it would be a small price to pay for independence. After hearing two hours of discussion, conducted with courtesy and restraint, it became clear that no compromise or understanding was possible. Wilson saw clear-cut courses: either to hold Mesopotamia by force or to withdraw altogether. In response, Hubert Young, head of the Middle East Department at the Foreign Office, suggested a third course "to remain in Mesopotamia with the goodwill of the people".
