 Under the 1936 treaty, Britain had the right to "defend" Egypt from an invasion, which turned the Western Desert of Egypt into a battlefield when Italy declared war on Britain on 10 June 1940 and invaded Egypt.Maher declared Cairo an "open city" under international law, which in theory would require the British forces to leave Cairo as no military forces are allowed in an "open city", but the British simply disregarded the declaration.Under the 1936 treaty, the Egyptians were obligated to assist the British with logistical services, but Maher frustrated this by appointing corrupt bureaucrats to positions such as presidency of the Egyptian state railroad who demanded "baksheesh" (bribe)in exchange for co-operating.