In 1915, a secret exchange of letters promised an independent Arab state
A series of secret letters exchanged in 1915 between British officials and Arab leaders laid the groundwork for a massive revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
The McMahon-Hussein Correspondence began in July 1915 as a high-stakes diplomatic gamble. Sir Henry McMahon, a British official, promised Hussein bin Ali, the Sharif of Mecca, that Britain would recognize an independent Arab state in exchange for a rebellion against Ottoman rule.
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