Synopses & Reviews
In 1915, at the height of World War I, the Central Powers sent a diplomatic mission, led by Oskar Niedermeyer and Werner Otto von Hentig, to the court of the Emir of Afghanistan, Habibullah Khan. Jointly operated by the governments of Germany and Turkey, the aim of the mission was to persuade the Emir to declare full independence from the British Empire, enter the war on the side of the Central Powers and attack British India. Britain saw this mission as a serious and credible threat - so much so that they tried to intercept the travellers in Persia en route to Kabul and subsequently implemented their own intelligence mission to ensure that Afghanistan would retain its neutral position. Jules Stewart provides a gripping account of the expedition, highlighting a previously little-known aspect of the international history of World War I.
About the Author
Jules Stewart is a journalist, historian and author. His books include Madrid: The History; Albert: A Life; On Afghanistan's Plains: The Story of Britain's Afghan Wars (all I.B.Tauris); Crimson Snow: Britain's First Disaster in Afghanistan; The Savage Border: The Story of the North-West Frontier; Spying for the Raj: The Pundits and the Mapping of the Himalaya and The Khyber Rifles: From the British Raj to Al Qaeda.
Table of Contents
1. The Kaiser, the Amir and the Viceroy
2. We're Off to Join the Circus
3. Into the Fearful Wasteland
4. Saved by the War
5. The Hindu Conspiracy
6. The Germans are Back