أوراق متنوعة بشأن الشرق الأدنى والأوسط [و‎‎٢‎٤] (٧٠/٤٧)

Memorandum araplifying Parae. 4 li 5 of General Staff Memorandum
' m T1iq iillitfiry aspect of the Turkish Peace Settlement' 1
circulated to the Cabinet by the Secretary of State for ».ar on the
24th December 1919.
1. Owing to the i .potence and unrepresentative character of the
Turkish Government it is obvious that the mere acceptance by it of
peace terms will carry little weight in itself, except in the unlikely
contingency that the terms will be acceptable to the Nationalist -party.
2. i'his means that there must be ve :*y close consideration of the
t
relation between the actual decision which it may bo desired to
enforce and the means o! securing their effective execution.
Rejilization of the geographical features of the problem from the
point of view of time and space is thus involved.
3. It will then bo apparent that a declaration of intention, except
with reference to areas immediately accessible such as Jhrace, Con
stantino ole. bmyrna or Batouia. may hare the worst uossibio result
4. Therefore, though main decisions may, and doubtless will, be
arrived at quickly, the sensation of a general and premature
announcement is to be avoided. por it is clear that before any
nouncement is made the decisions should be conveyed to those
principally responsible for their enforcement. These will be:-
(a) British and /JLliod Military Commanders, including French,
Greeks and Itali ana.
(b) i2mbyro Ctates such as Arab, Armenian, Azorbai jan, Georgian,
and possibly the Kurdish, who will all have their own
political and defensive arrangements to make
(o) Also^raua? be given for the Government of India and the
Administrations of Mesopotamia and ngypt to take such
steps as may be necessary to counter the repercussion
which is to bo expected in those countries in case of
disapproval of the Turkish peace terms.
5. In fact the Turks should be told last of all, and for them the
word and the deed should bo simultaneous. The most satisfactory
principle will be for the Military Commanders concerned to he left
to time whatever announcement may he necessary at their ovm
discretion in accordance with military arriurigements regarding
the i r