Proceed to Peshawar – from the Army Navy Club Library
By C. Naseer Ahmad
Washington, DC

Libraries have a way to take us to some wonderful journeys, transporting us through time and across the oceans. The collection of books, magazines and other reading material provides an almost limitless resource for learning.

Some libraries, however, have a gravitational pull that can feel stronger than that of a black hole. Once you step foot near it, it is almost impossible to escape without learning something new. The library at the Army Navy Club on the south eastern end of Farragut Square, in downtown Washington, is both magnificent as well as well stocked.

“Proceed to Peshawar” by Dr. George J Hill was awaiting the readers on the table along with other interesting books. It is an interesting book about a secret US Naval Intelligence mission to the Afghan Border in 1943 – more than seventy years ago. Once the book is picked up, it is hard to put it down until you have read one of the most intriguing stories about the land which has suffered many invasions, served as the graveyard of empires, and been part of the contest known as the “Great Game.”

Through a painstaking effort – using his father-in-law’s coded notes, Dr Hill narrates “a story of adventure in the Hindu Kush Mountains, and of a previously untold Military and Naval Intelligence Mission along about 800 miles of the Durand Line in World War II.” He talks about the American officers who passed through the Tribal Areas and the princely states of what was the North-West Frontier Province (and now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and into Baluchistan. His book “also provides an insight into the background and daily life of a Naval Intelligence Officer who was stationed in Karachi, India (now Pakistan), in World War II.” His father-in-law Lt. Alfred Zimmerman was probably the first American official to travel to all of the provinces that are now part of Pakistan.

In the words of one reader, the book is a “compelling account of a fascinating journey in Central Asia during WWII.” Through this book, the reader learns about the detailed account kept by Lt Alfred Zimmerman of the journey during which he took numerous high quality photographs to chronicle this unique expedition.

From the de-classified material Dr Hill, Lt Zimmerman's son-in-law “finally delivers the edited journal, photos, and a ton of research and maps to fill in the gaps and bring the story to life. The reader gets to know the characters involved, and appreciates the historical context of the situation.” Dr Hill introduces the famous “Great Game" which involved strategic contest between Britain and Russia after Napoleon's retreat in which Afghanistan's role was seen as a buffer between the British Empire’s colony in India and Russia. In this high level game, “Tibet, China, and even Mongolia later became factors, especially during WWII when the stakes were never higher.”

From one of the insightful reviews of the book by John E. (Jed) Williamson, Sterling College and the American Alpine Club, one learns that Dr Hill inspired by this archive of the declassified material “does more than describe the mission. He looks back at the political and historical events leading up to the journey and then forward to the present day. Thorough research and compelling writing will keep readers riveted. I was reminded that the Afghan people once liked us and that explorers and climbers today have nothing on these men.”

If the reader’s appetite for enjoying a historical perspective still remains to be filled, then Dr Hill’s interesting lecture surrounding this book can be viewed via YouTube also. In this video, made available by the Naval War College, Dr Hill starts the discussion by mentioning Chitral and then his father-in-law’s posting in Karachi from where this secret mission originated.

From his website, the reader will learn that George J. Hill graduated from the Harvard Medical School and served with a distinguished career in the US Marine Corps and the Public Health Service, retired as a captain in the Navy Reserve.

The title “Proceed to Peshawar” has a certain ring to it; it is part marching order and part desire to begin a journey. It is also a reminder of something attributed to Peshawar almost a year ago when cruel murderers cut short the many precious lives who could have discovered untold treasures hidden in the libraries of the world or whose own journeys would have been just as riveting as what Dr Hill narrated.

So it is appropriate to remember the statement made by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after learning about the attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar last year: " I have decided to proceed to Peshawar ...These are my children and it is my loss. "

In this context, it is also important to note President Barack Obama’s statement after the heinous attack on the Army Public School: “We stand with the people of Pakistan, and reiterate the commitment of the United States to support the Government of Pakistan in its efforts to combat terrorism and extremism and to promote peace and stability in the region."