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Percy Cox
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==Influence in Iraq== [[File:Ibn Saud and Cox.jpg|thumb|Cox and [[Gertrude Bell]] with Abdul Aziz Ibn Sa'ud, during the [[Arab Revolt]], Basrah, 1916]] Aged 25, Cox first travelled in the Middle East. In 1915 he was sent by the British army to negotiate: On 6 October he met Leachman at [[Aziziyah, Iraq|Aziziyeh]] to discuss how to free Baghdad.{{sfn|Townshend|2010| p=140}} An emissary was sent into the city to see [[Nuri al-Said]]. The Iraqi commander in the pay of the Ottomans was responsible to [[Talaat Pasha]], one of the [[Young Turks]] whose coup d'état had seized power in Constantinople/Istanbul. Cox was deeply sceptical about "conciliating with the Arabs".{{sfn|Townshend|2010| p=57}} Nuri's Basra Reform Society were negotiating with Cox when the British appointed the violent and intemperate [[Sayyid Talib]] as governor of the province. He was eager to work with the Imperial forces, but was deeply unpopular with local Shias. Cox ordered Talib and Nuri to be arrested; they were promptly deported to prison in India for treasonous attempts to stir up revolt. The general turned statesman-diplomat disapproved of army plans to extend the autonomous region; advising against plans to invade into the interior, which he knew to be fraught with dangers. In January 1915, [[Sir John Nixon]]'s appointment to head a new division with orders from [[Simla|Shimla]] encouraged the diplomat to draft a similar text for General Nixon that launched the fateful mission to Kut al-Amara.{{efn|1=according to historian Charles Townshend, the originator was probably the intellectual and skilful career diplomat and not the troubled General}} "This would create endless problems for Great Britain..." wrote Gerard Leachman in March 1915, explorer, traveller from India.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}} Cox early on spotted the important alliance that lay with Ibn Saud.{{sfn|Darlow|Bray|2010| pp=133, 150–151}} In his capacity as the senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office official, Cox received secret intelligence reports on Ottoman troop movements. In his dealings he was "stoic, patient and tolerant, never allowing any hint of frustration no matter how perverse the commands of his government or the action of his people...".{{sfn|Darlow| Bray|2010|p=151}} In January 1915, he was alerted to the [[Banu Lam]] and [[Bani Turuf]] tribes mobilising for war, declaring [[Jihad]] in Persia. Cox was confident that "Qurna was strong" and would hold against an assault.{{sfn|Townshend|2010| p=67}} It was imperative to protect the oil pipelines into the Gulf at Abadan;<ref>Lord Crewe to Lord Hardinge, 12 March 1915</ref> the government ordered a brigade to this duty. Cox was well aware from his own experiences of the vulnerability of the frontier. He was highly respected as a quick, efficient, tireless and energetic soldier-diplomat, as well as being incorruptible. He held a genuine interest in local people, the Arabs and Persians, and was a shrewd and patient listener. As a politician he was a good speaker of Arabic and Turkish. But he knew when to shut up: he kept silent often in the Bedu presence, yet knew when to speak up, which impressed the Arab sensibilities. To Gertrude Bell he became an indispensable and close friend; whom she fondly admired.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}} By 1914, Cox was a champion of Arab nationalism, working closely with [[Gertrude Bell]], and [[T. E. Lawrence]] to that end. During April 1916, [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|Kitchener]] offered a series of blatant bribes up to £2 million via General Halil "to the people of Kut", disgusted Cox left with Leachman's cavalry brigade sent back to Basra.{{sfn|Townshend|2010| p=250}} Gertrude Bell reported she was staying with Sir Percy and Lady Cox in March 1916, living next door to the Military GHQ.<ref>Gertrude Bell to Florence Bell, Basra, 17 March 1916.{{harv|Bell|1927a}}</ref> On 8 March, Cox had returned from Bushire wherefore gathering intelligence. By May, [[George Lloyd, 1st Baron Lloyd|George Lloyd]] had joined the unit from London because their work was "political not military," the "Egyptian link" being with the new [[Arab Bureau]].<ref>Gertrude to Herbert Bell, Basrah, 16 April 1916.{{harv|Bell|1927a|p=376}}</ref> ===Triumph and capture of Baghdad=== Cox's main priority was to protect and prevent Ibn Saud from joining the Turkish side in the war. He met the Arab Sheikh at [[Al-Ahsa Oasis]] where a Treaty was signed guaranteeing a subsidy of £5,000 per month. Cox knew that [[Mark Sykes|Sir Mark Sykes]] was the champion of [[Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca|Sharif Husein]], a rival candidate for the desert kingdoms. The delicate diplomatic balance arose as [[Stanley Maude|General Maude]] took Baghdad in March 1917;<ref>"I had a letter from Sir Percy to-day, from the Front, full of exaltation and confidence". (Gertrude to Herbert Bell, 10 March 1917.{{harv|Bell|1927a|p=399}})</ref> and [[Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby|Allenby]] Jerusalem that December. Taking part in the campaigns in Mesopotamia and [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], he was promoted to Honorary Major-General in May 1917. During this time he established strong relations with Ibn Saud, the powerful ruler of the [[Nejd]], with whom he had already had dealings while Resident, and when he gained the nickname Kokus.{{efn|1="The word Kokus is rapidly passing into Arabic language, not as a name but as a title. You are a Kokus, just as once upon a time you were a Chosroes or a Pharaoh" (Gertrude to Herbert Bell, 8 June 1917.{{harv|Bell|1927b| p=414}}}} For the next year Cox was of central importance to the Government of Baghdad, living in a large house where he entertained high society Sheikhs; the arrival of [[Fahad Bey Ibn Haddal|Fahad Bey]], Sheikh of Amareh, and others instilled confidence in the British Residency. On 8 September 1918, he visited Tehran, for the first time. The negotiations largely completed Cox was installed as Britain's first ambassador at Tehran in November 1918.<ref>see Letter from Gertrude to Herbert Bell, Baghdad, 28 November 1918, ...they [Persians] want Sir Percy as High Commissioner...they trust Sir Percy...."{{harv|Bell|1927b}}</ref> At the end of hostilities with the Ottoman Empire, Cox was appointed Acting [[Diplomatic rank|Minister]] in [[Tehran]], negotiating the [[Anglo-Persian Agreement]]. That winter he returned to Europe, attending the Versailles Peace Conference in 1919{{citation needed|date=September 2016}}.
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