Husrieh argued that the National Bloc had given too many concessions to the French, including the right to maintain military bases in Syria for use in the event of war in Europe. Jamil Mardam Bey, the architect of the 1936 treaty who had become prime minister shortly after that, closed al-Sha'b and placed Husrieh under 24-hour surveillance. Husrieh retaliated by issuing a secret pamphlet entitled al-Istifham(Question mark) that criticized the National Bloc and its entire leadership, accusing them of establishing a dictatorship in Syria.