n expedition to Alexandretta was carefully gone
into, in consultation with Sir J. Maxwell who was commanding the
forces in Egypt, and we came to the conclusion that a comparatively
small force could quite easily effect a landing and gain sufficient
ground to make itself comfortable on enemy soil, even if the Turks
managed gradually to assemble reinforcements. One realized that
securing a considerable sector of ground [p.63] at once was essential in an
amphibious operation of this kind, the very thing that was never
accomplished on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Lord K. was much interested
in the project for a time; he believed that it would help the
Russians, who were in some straits in Armenia, and he was satisfied
that if it was successfully carried into effect, hostile designs
against the Suez Canal line would automatically be brought to nought.
A job of this sort would have served as a capital exercise for some of
the Australasian troops then in Egypt, who from the training point of
view were still a raw soldiery; such a task would have represented a
very different class of trial from that which they were actually to
undergo three months later when getting ashore at Anzac Cove. But Mr.
Churchill's naval project against the Dardanelles began to take shape
early in January, and it put an end to any thoughts about
Alexandretta. The matter is, indeed, only mentioned here because its
consideration marked about the first occasion on which Lord Kitchener
made any use of the General Staff within the War Office in connection
with any operations question outside the United Kingdom.

It was not until another four months had elapsed, however, that I
personally had much say in regard to those very questions which a
Director of Military Operations would, from his title, seem
necessarily to be closely concerned with. The change that then took
place I attribute very largely to an incident which on that account
deserves recording. It happened that, on the very day after welcome
tidings came to hand by cable from Sir I. Hamilton to the effect that
he had successfully landed 29,000 troops on the Gallipoli Peninsula on
the 25th of April, I was sent off to Paris to represent the British
Army at a secret conference with French and Russian commissioners and
with representatives of the Italians (who were coming into the war),
at which naval and military conventions with our fresh ally were to be
drawn up. Further reference to this conference wil