The Point of View of a French Ambassador
And yet we are not to forget that every time a strong power has taken hold in Egypt, that country's government has set its sights on Syria : That's how it was with Ali Bey in the 18th century, with Bonaparte and Muhammad Ali in the 19th century. Will it be the case also for contemporary Britain ? Some clues picked up both in Egypt and in Syria, leave little room for doubt : the same idea has burgeoned in the mind of British and Syrians individuals and converging trends are taking shape in both regions towards bringing them together under the same authority.
M. P. Cambon, French Ambassadeur in London, to M. Poincaré, London 3 May 1912. In Adel ISMAÏL, Documents diplomatiques et consulaires relatifs à l'histoire du Liban et des Pays du Proche-Orient du XVIIe siècle à nos jours, Tome XVIII [Diplomatic and Consular Documents relating to the History of Lebanon and Near Eastern Countries from the 17th century to our times](1907-1912), n. 104.
