"أوراق متعلقة بلجنة بلاد الرافدين من غرفة السير إ. بارو" [ظ‎‎٤‎١] (١٣٨٦/٨٢)

i la* War Commitloe decided on the 1 Ith October that the combined
,1U! ;u ' Oiliee and Admiralty shonld pn'pare a paper on the subject.
» his. u:as submitted on tlie-19tli October.
, Ot the rc(]U' v st of the •Prime .Minister an Interdepartmental Committee
110 (1 at die India Ollice also reported on the situation. Their report was
sn I mu i ted on the 1 (ith October, ride Committee of Imperial Defence Paper,
‘ ! 1 lL t. O. -.8, of October P)lo, eatilleu Report of an Inter-Departmental
( onill!It tee on the Strateoical Situation in Alesopotamia.”
1 he conclusions of the Inter-Departmental Committee are at pa^e 3 of
tlie paper quoted. °
( hi the same date (IGtli October) the Military Secretary, India Office
submitted a supplementary minute in consequence of the information
received from India and from General Nixon subsequent to the date on
[' UHn t ie ommittee had dratted its Report, vide Committee of Imperial
Defence 1 aper, S-cret, G. 81, of October Pd lb.
die following extracts indicate a certain modification of the views he had
previously expressed : —
n„ l ""'‘ " Ji !' m l ,r °""' se "f '«■<’ divitiom, I «m entirely in farm,,- of non,a to
» h,)e, it get only one division added to l■'o 1 •ce - I).’ we n igl.t still consider the
vtsalnld v ol a ,;a„l and retirement. That is to say. (leneral Nixon, wdlMwo divb R d
-oh o , at airy regunents m the Baghdad area, will be able, whatever the Turks n.av do-
' >aSe ^ rem ° Vin!; ° r attd transport now
" < - ) T lZd hr fl ' 0m :l " , '" ,nmu,,, ' catlo n With Persia for at least two or three
" ('■>) To postjione trouble from Afghanistan for that period,
f < P To keep the Basra vilayet and the oil Helds quiet for a like period.”
I have described the advantages of offensive action but I -.i.. rsi r ■ , • ,
I lie political effect of eventual retirement will be bad but there will h-ive l° US ° 1 s ^ :n ’^ ers -
advantages.^and -rover, wo should have born ' iven lin!, o . .
\ odras al knl-ol-A mara, and some of our gunboats will be ready to gluml the r'ivm'.’■'''
‘>lsl r nlfr I 1 ' 1 Wt!r f ConsldRred b .v Hie War Council on the
- o OetolK , and their conclusions were embodied in the Secretary of
hrnte 8 private telegram of the same date, which was also in rcnlv to tl e
foE':- I,m ' at ° U ' h8nan oi t,lat Th " telegrams in question were as
From Mccroy, 2Lst October 1915.
Private, "l our jinvate telegram of 18th instant. IWlidad.
(tovernmont of India are in entire agreement witiCffis l\r'n'ncfxv’„ r
political 'ami strategic advantages of the capture and oTpation'of B-ordTiT-l T
■ i ° k '; 1 ;. 7 - » a xr“i
bom India to Alesonotanna cngin or a division of
<1.
troops from India to .Mesopotamia.
U8 :" Af,e '' C °" SUl,i " a <!o ” m »“ d “- i -CI>i«f 1 oo-Mc.- that 11,ere are three alternatives before
we a,!e gmwam^d J Wnbli^^ ^foully whaler, provided that
' 1 V "P ; 10 '!;-. J 1 "* will I*, he »iw»ctorv Jut:on g e80potaffi,a within
rolrasingb';,;"' EnglillmS' rifdnrs ' ’'T TT «<*<*•
doiinnatmg the rily hy river patrols from a eanipwaa', ,,f Ihol I ''l ’'ri h ° f l 5“S hdaci “ Iltl
political effect, and the fact that we were not in •ictiml ^ • ' 1 j n ^ AVOU D luive a good
precipitate the despatch of Turkish reinforcements to ‘recapS ^ mi » hfc not
l) )int of view, would be only the second best alternative bni it «• u ] 1LS ’ fr ! )m a political
a whole division to carry it out. ' ’ would not require addition of
prrrmf'.iih'er'ii'i'or'( 0 )""' Hr fonsiderr'lmt' Bmh 1 f i il: '" ,,islikcs lllis “lltion, and would
r.,r Whirl,eve; side is f.Vls'tsimioP'i - d *
keep well awav fj-om it. He docs not 11 ,ii,L- it .+ n • i i cithci liold it ourselves or
AVe should have to be camped close to the suburbs 'i U - t() b( (,lni y ate t) it from south,
disadvantages and none of'the " 0 P n,, ; m S'™ us all the
b iglxlad. I urkish reinforcements will he gradually dribbled int ''( L " f lat un Dss we hold
llaglidad than anywhere south of .t.and CommandeiGmChier;^ greaV^es" on' tlm