Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [‎45v] (90/544)

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the first instance, the consul should be told that his telegram, as it
stood, was not understood.
Mr. Montagu thought the Committee should certainly promise
the Kawam or his heirs an allowance on the same lines as had been
proposed in the case of Firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). Firma.
The Chairman agreed, and suggested that a telegram should be
sent in the follo\vin£ sense :—
“We cannot agree to grant compensation for unknown
losses, but if we can be satisfied that certain losses have been
definitely sustained, we would consider the question, and that
in the event of his enforced exile we would grant compensation
to him, and, in case of his death in our cause, to his family.”
The Committee decided —
To request the Foreign OjJice to telegraph to Sir C. Marling
to the effect that —
(a.) His Majesty's Government cannot commit themselves
to giving compensation for losses to an unlimited
a mount f hut they were prepared to consider the
question if and when such losses are incurred,
provided, that the Kawam remains friendly to us
and that the losses sustained are on account of
his friendship with us ;
(b.) In the event of the Kawam's enforced exile, such
reasonable compensation as may be decided upon
will be paid to him; and
(c.) In the event of his death in our cause, to his family.
The Committee further decided —
That the expenses of any subsidies it might be decided to give
to Firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). Firma and the Kawam should be borne in
equal shares by the Indian Government and His Majesty s
Treasury.
(At this point Mr. Keynes withdrew.)
South Persia.
The Position of
Sir P. Sykes and
tho Control of
.Military
Operations.
2. The Chairman said that the question of Sir P. Sykes’ position
and the control of military operations in South Persia was part of a
larger question of the control of all military operations in Persia.
An hour or two before the meeting, a memorandum on the subject
of Sir P. Sykes’ position by the Political Department of the India
Office (E.0.-582), in which the Secretary of State for India had
informed him he did not concur, had been circulated to the Com
mittee. The Chief of the Imperial General Staff’ had also prepared a
note (E.C. 591) on the proposed appointment of a General Officer
Commanding South Persia, but this had been received too late to be
lead either by himself or the Committee. As regards the larger
question, and speaking ;is one who had at different times viewed the
problem both from the 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. and Foreign Office points of view,
and also as Viceroy of India, the position seemed to him to be as
follows. The expedition into Mesopotamia had originally been under
taken by the Government of India, but circumstances had necessi
tated the conduct of the operations being transferred to the War
Office. Under the control of that department both the present
General Officer Commanding in that theatre and his predecessor had
worked splendidly. General Marshall had lately bL-en compelled to
throw out his right flank into Persia. The Chairman thought that
General Marshall was well qualified to control the operations conducted
by General Dunsterville, which were within his legitimate sphere,