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Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [32r] (63/544)
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.j
Printed for the War Cabinet. June
SECRET.
E.C. 12th Minutes.
4
WAR CABINET.
EASTERN COMMITTEE.
Minutes of a Meeting held in Lord Curzons Room at ths Privy Council Office
on Wednesday, June 5, 1918, at 6 p.m.
Present:
The Right Hon. the Earl Ourzon of Kedleston, K.G., G.C.S.I., G.C.LE.
(in the Chair).
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.
The Right Hon. the Lord Hardinge of
Penshurst, K.G., P.C., G.C.B., G.C.S.P,
G.C.M.G.
[Knight] Grand Cross of [the Order of] St Michael and St George (accolade).
, G.C.I.E., G.C.V.O., I.S.O.,
Permanent Under-Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs.
Mr. L. Oliphant, C.M.G., Foreign Office.
Sir Mark Sykes, Bt., M.P., Foreign
Office.
The Right Hon. E. S. Montagu, M.P.,
Secretary of State for India.
Mr. J. E. Shuckburgh, C.B.,
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.
.
Major-General Sir G. M. M. Macdonogh,
K.C.M.G., C.B., Director of Military
Intelligence (representing the Chief of
the Imperial General Staff).
Also attended:
The Right Hon. Lord Robert Cecil, K.C., M.P., Minister of Blockade.
Lieutenant-Colonel W. H. Gribbon, War Office.
Lieutenant-Colonel L. Storr, Secretary.
Caucasus. 1. The Chairman said that since the last meeting, when certain
decisions had been reached as regards General Dunsterville and Sir
General Dunster- p. S y k es respectively [Minutes 1 and 3 of the llth meeting), several
important telegrams had passed between London, Persia, and India
which required the Committee’s immediate consideration. The
decision of the Committee as regards General Dunsterville had
been communicated on the 1st June by the War Office to the
G.O.C., Mesopotamia (E.C.-448), to the effect that a useful
purpose might be served by the presence at Baku ot one or two
British officers ; the instructions therefore sent on the 27th May in
War Office telegram No. 59064 were so far modified as to allow
Dunsterville himself to go to Baku or one or more officers from his
mission, at General Marshall’s discretion, in order to organise the
destruction of the oil-fields, to secure the Caspian fleet, or for other
military purposes ; no troops except under General Marshalls orders
should accompany the above officers, as we regarded the effective
occupation of the road via Kasvin to the Caspian as the first military
necessity.
[365—11]
B
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 [32r] (63/544), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F112/274, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100069672677.0x000040> [accessed 18 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