Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [‎2v] (4/544)

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only with on<9 quastion of policy Tiz; the Trnns
Oauo:sus prohleni* The lattar h s unfortxumtely nov; dropped
into the b^Oii, round; out in bo f r ns it ney still be
tho^c-ht to exist, or be liiioly to revive it will be desit
with'by the i&bv; Oomrittaa, but will hnrfly require e special
i'orei^A^fice Official for the purpose. Should one be
wsntod on doubtloss the foreign Office \ r /i.il depute ono
of their staff.
As regards the ravine of action of the Committee it is
difficult to fix precise ^oo^raphical either -m tho
’"ostorn or on trie Sastorn side, hut it would seeai broadly
speaicin^ th: t vhu t is oallod the Eastern f out should
constitute the factor of differentiation, i.e. enemy
movement or action in the hi cl rloa, the Cpuce.sus, and frens
Cfuc'isus, Armenia., Tarsia, tho O^arian, Tranecespia,
funestan, Afghanistan # in fact the entire western glacis
of the Indian fortress ehourd fall within its purview.
South of this tho sphere of the present Hid die S?3t Committee,
i.o. Ainai, Pflestino, Syrir, the Jejas, Arabia, Mesopotamia,
the Persian oulf, would of course be included.
The question whether the Committee should attempt to
deal with the Huseian situation, as it has developed in tho
direction of Siberia with the Siberian Railway to
Vi' : *livestock and with tho intervention of Japan is more
difficult, for tho present the answer will probably bo in the
negative, the Siberia cum Japan situntiou being in tho hands
of the War Cabinet as a matter of Imperial policy of tho
first moment. It will always bo possible ^should tho foreign
Secretary or the War Cabinet desire to refer to,or to bring
in tho Eastern Committoe.
•Thore is another situation in which e certain and novel
aspect of the Russian ouestiou msy fall within the scope
of tho Committee. Should the Japanese not entor Siberia and
should German influence or German forces establish themselves
there, there might arise a new Central Asian problem, as the
danger thus created began to permeate southwards <>nd to
threaten Tuxxastan and the regions bordering the Indian Empire
on the North. In that case the whole Central Asian question
would have to be treated as one, snd the Eastern Committee
would be rospoaaible.
As regards times of meeting it would seem desirable that
the Committee should meet twice a week, say on Monday and
Friday afternoon. If at any time a third meeting were
required, it oould be arranged for in the course of the week.
An agenda should bo prepared in advance i*n& circulated
by the Secretary. The business at the meeting should be token^
in a fixed order and Minutes should be kept end circulated to
the Members of the Committee and to the War Cabinet.
I would propose that the Committee, if approved on tha.
above lines, should begin to not next week.
(Int.) C. of £.
March ICth, Itfld.