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Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [18r] (35/544)
The record is made up of 1 file (272 folios). It was created in 13 Mar 1918-7 Jan 1919. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
Printed for the War Cabinet. May VMS-
SECRET.
E.C. 7th Minutes.
WAR CABINET.
EASTERN COMMITTEE.
Minutes of a Meeting oj the Eastern Committee held in Lord Curzon s Loom at the
Privy Conned Office on Monday, May 6, 1918, at -1 p.m.
Present :
The Right Hon. the Earl Curzon of Kedlkston,
(in the Chair).
K.G., G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E.
Lieutenant-General the Right Hon. J. C.
Smuts, K.C.
The Right Hon. A. J. Balfour, O.M., M.P.,
Secretary of’ State for Foreign Affairs.
General Sir H. H. Wilson, K.C. 11,
K.C.M.G., D.S.O., Chief of the Imperial
General Staff.
Major-General Sir G. M. W. Macdonogh,
K.C.M.G., C.B., Director of Military
Intelligence.
Sir Thomas Holderness, G.C.B., K.C.S.I.,
representing the Secretary o 1 State for
India.
Mr. J. E. Shuckburgh,
India Office
The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors.
.
Also present:
Lieutenant-General Sir H. V. Cox, K.C.M.G., C.B., O.S.I,
India Office
The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors.
.
Captain E. Abraham, Secretary. 1
Central Asian
Situation.
Defence of India.
1. The Committee considered an appreciation by the Viceroy
on the situation in Central Asia (E.C. 202), certain military
proposals for the defence of India with a covering memorandum by
the Chief of the Imperial General Staff included in G.T.-4401, and
comments on the proposals by the Military Secretary to the India
Office (E.C. 210 and E.C. 222).
The Chief of the Imperial General Staff stated that the minimum
additional formations required by the Commander-in-Chief in India,
i.e., three infantry brigades to complete the troops allotted to the
Khvber area, were not disputed, and that the further demands were
now, though perhaps reluctantly, waived by the authorities in India,
vide Commander-in-Chief’s telegram No. 31837 of the 23rd April to
War Office.
The hope entertained as a result of the Conference at Delhi of
recruiting up to 500,000 men in India by next April, would, if
realised, place the Commander-in-Chief in India in a strong position
as regards Indian lighting man-power by that time. It is generally
agreed that no serious attack can be made on India by a Turco-
German combination before next spring. No very controversial
point, therefore, appeared to remain.
About this item
- Content
This file is composed of papers produced by the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee, which was chaired by George Curzon for most of its existence. The file contains a complete set of printed minutes, beginning with the committee's first meeting on 28 March 1918, and concluding with its final meeting on 7 January 1919 (ff 6-214 and ff 227-272).
The file begins with two copies of a memorandum by Curzon, dated 13 March 1918, proposing the formation of the Eastern Committee. This is followed by a memorandum by Arthur James Balfour, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, approving Curzon's proposal, and a copy of a procedure for the newly created committee, outlining arrangements for committee meetings and the dissemination of information to committee members.
Also included is a set of resolutions, passed by the committee in December 1918, in order to guide British representatives at the Paris Peace conference (ff 216-225). The resolutions cover the following: the Caucasus and Armenia; Syria; Palestine; Hejaz and Arabia; Mesopotamia, Mosul, Baghdad and Basra. They are preceded by a handwritten note written by Curzon 'some years later', which remarks on how they are a 'rather remarkable forecast of the bulk of the results since obtained.'
- Extent and format
- 1 file (272 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 272; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [18r] (35/544), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F112/274, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100069672677.0x000024> [accessed 20 June 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- Mss Eur F112/274
- Title
- Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee
- Pages
- 1r:214v, 216r:272v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence