The Passionate Spies
How Gertrude Bell, St. John Philby, and Lawrence of Arabia Ignited the Arab Revolt—and How Saudi Arabia Was Founded
This is the true story of how three British Secret Service agents from the Arab Bureau in Cairo helped General Allenby defeat Germany’s ally, the Turks, and end World War One. Lawrence of Arabia reignited a failing Arab Revolt by training and leading a guerrilla force of Arab irregulars to take the port of Aqaba on the Red Sea. John Harte’s book - as well as focusing on a critical moment that David Lean featured in his famous film in which young Captain Lawrence discovers a secret back door into the Turkish interior - also describes the forgotten nomadic life of the Bedouin tribes and their raiding parties, the founding of oil-rich Saudi Arabia led by King Ibn Saud, and his double-agent, the treacherous Major St John Philby whom spymaster Major Gertrude Bell of the SIS had trained in spy-craft.
The Passionate Spies describes how Britain, in June 1916, attempted to end the slaughter of World War I by undermining Turkey (a German Ally). Three British spies, motivated by their aversion to the imperialism of the major powers and their own idealism, were able to spark a revolt among Arab tribes from the Turkish border to the Red Sea. With some help from British troops, they succeeded in overcoming Turkish forces and established Damascus as the Arab capital. They "freed" Arabs to begin the bruising negotiation with Western powers that set the course for the Middle East as we know it today.
| Autor: | Harte, John |
|---|---|
| ISBN: | 9781951082543 |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Produktart: | Gebunden |
| Verlag: | Ingram Publishers Services |
| Veröffentlicht: | 01.01.2022 |
| Untertitel: | How Gertrude Bell, St. John Philby, and Lawrence of Arabia Ignited the Arab Revolt—and How Saudi Arabia Was Founded |
| Schlagworte: | Arabia, Syria, Egypt, espionage, Ottoman Empire, World War 1 HISTORY / Middle East / Arabian Peninsula HISTORY / Military / World War I HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century HISTORY / Women HISTORY / World |
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