LAWRENCE, T. E.
A compilation of T. E. Lawrence's wartime reports collected under an eye-catching title, "Secret Despatches." The documents are Crown Copyright and were therefore censored under the then pertaining fifty-year rule, so special dispensation to print was obtained from the Foreign Office. Topics include military notes, nationalism among the desert tribesmen, and commentary on Arab families and armies. Perhaps despatch XXVII, entitled Twenty-Seven Articles (p. 126-133) will be of the most interest to modern readers, for it provides 27 hints or "commandments" for those wishing to get along with the Sherifs in wartime, such as "Go easy just for the first few weeks," "Your ideal position is when you are present and not noticed," "Cling tight to your sense of humour," and "Never lay hands on an Arab; you degrade yourself." Glossary at rear. Foreword by A. W. Lawrence, the author's brother.
