The Nile Valley alongside the throne of Cairo. As for the Ansar, they paid no heed to this rumor and did not record any measure of support or denial. My relationship with them was not a narrow political one, but rather a spiritual relationship and a broad political one.

Why I Accepted the Advisory Council I said that the government did not recognize the presenters of the Conference memorandum, and my call was to meet the Governor-General, Sir Huddleston, at his palace. I told him that they had dashed our hopes by neglecting the memorandum. Sir Huddleston replied, "We will do something for Sudan." The "something" the Governor meant was the Advisory Council for Northern Sudan. In my view, Sir Huddleston was one of those men whose human spirit overshadowed their political loyalty, and one of those who rose above petty matters when circumstances compelled them to stand by humanity or by political necessity. It was this great human spirit that led Sir Huddleston to stand by the separatists in 1947. I believe he was serious and sincere in supporting independence and was not an arrogant politician like some politicians of his own kind.

Through my experiences, I have touched upon the flashes of this human spirit in other Britons. Whoever judges the British nation as being composed of pirates or even a group of fanatics who only work for the interests of their empire has judged unjustly. If this pessimistic view were true, all hope for the future of humanity would be lost. In Europe, as in the East, there is a group of sincere intentions, and in them we place our hope for the future of man.

When the idea of the Advisory Council was presented to me, I accepted it and advised my men to accept participation in the Council. I recall giving them the example of a person who asks for a debt from another. Should he refuse if the debtor hands him a part of his debt, or should he take it and demand the rest? Thus, we must accept the Council and demand the rest of our rights.

Then I traveled to Arkweit and met Mr. Bent, the Judicial Secretary, who told me, "You did well by accepting the Advisory Council, because this Council will evolve after ten or twenty years into a legislative assembly."

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