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CAIRO TO DAMASCUS
such travel now was particularly dangerous. I took the bull
by the horns and approached the British Embassy for a visa
to Palestine. It was not easy to obtain, and only after I came
with a letter recommending me as a "keen and reliable historian of the present" was I granted it. I was now prepared to
enter Palestine legally as a newspaperman.
I made other preparations. I suggested to Moustafa Momen,
one of the leaders of the Ikhwan, that he give me a letter of
introduction vouching for my devotion to the Arab cause.
It would help me in Palestine, I told him. After some consultation, Momen wrote the following letter, which was to prove
extremely valuable to me:
To Generous Brother El Sayed Safer el Shawa
Head of the Brotherhood
Gaza
Greetings: God's Mercy and Blessings Be with You!
I present to you Mr.----------- , the American correspondent. He
has already visited the general headquarters of the Brotherhoo B