Monday July 21, 2003 at 4:14 PM
T.E. Lawrence in Iraq
Appearing in Politics
Born the second of five sons in August of 1888, Thomas Edward Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia, served as the British Military liaison to the Arab Revolt during the First World War. Although Lawrence supported the cause of Arab independence, Britain pursued a policy of colonial rule. Writing on August 22, 1920, Lawerence described the situation for the readers of the Sunday Times.
“The people of England have been led in Mesopotamia (ed. modern-day Iraq) into a trap from which it will be hard to escape with dignity and honour. They have been tricked into it by a steady withholding of information. The Baghdad communiques are belated, insincere, incomplete. Things have been far worse than we have been told, our administration more bloody and inefficient than the public knows. It is a disgrace to our imperial record, and may soon be too inflamed for any ordinary cure. We are to-day not far from a disaster.” Source.
