Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [‎48r] (95/544)

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B
Lord Ctirzon.
[This Docnment is the Property^of His Britarmic Majesty’s Goremment.!
Printed for the War Cabinet. July 1918.
SECRET.
E.C. 10th Minutes.
& 4:
WAR CABINET.
EASTERN COMMITTEE.
Minutes of a Meeting of the Eastern Committee held in Mr. Balfour's Room at the
douse of Commons on Monday i June 24, 1918, at 3*30 p.m.
Present:
The Right Hon. the Earl Curzon or Kedleston, K.G., G.C.S.L, G.C I.E.,
{in the Chair).
Lieut. -General the Right Hon. J. C. Smuts, The Right Hon. E. S. Montagu, M.P.,
K.C.
Secretary of State for India.
The Right Hon. A. J. Balfour, O.M., r ^ c t> r j-
^ „ 6 a _ r 0 , A r • 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. .
M.P., Secretary of State lor foreign
Affaire - Major-General Sir G. M. W. Macdonogh,
The Right Hon. the Lord Hardinge, of K.C.M.G , C.B., Director of Military
Penshurst, K.G., P.C., G.C.B., G.C.S.I., Intelligence (representing the Chief
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., of the Imperial General Staff).
Permanent Under-Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs.
Mr. L. Oliphant, C.M.G., Foreign Office.
Also attended:
Mr. J. M. Keynes, Treasury.
Mr. J. B. Crosland, Director of Finance, War Office.
Lieutenant-Colonel L. Storr (Secretary). 1
The Hamadan
Board of Control Formally known as the Board of Commissioners for the Affairs of India, it was established by an Act of Parliament in 1784 to supervise the activities of the East India Company. .
! .
1. General Macdonogh briefly described (E.C.-615) the genesis
and functions of the Hamadan Board of Control Formally known as the Board of Commissioners for the Affairs of India, it was established by an Act of Parliament in 1784 to supervise the activities of the East India Company. , which sat at
Hamadan and consisted of one Russian member and one or two
representatives of Sir C. Marling and a British Staff Officer
attached to Bicharakoff. The expenditure on the Russian troops
in Persia had hitherto been controlled by the Board, and in the
event of it being decided that the Board should be dissolved it was
desired that the position of the War Office with regard to this
expenditure should be defined, for it was assumed that the func
tions of the Board would devolve upon the Military Authorities in
Persia. The War Office had not hitherto undertaken any financial
responsibility in Persia beyond that involved in the maintenance
of British troops in that country. On the 17th May, the Board
had recommended its own abolition, and this recommendation was
supported by the Treasury, by the Minister at Teheran, and the
General Officer Commanding, Mesopotamia.
The Committee decided:
That the Hamadan Board of Control Formally known as the Board of Commissioners for the Affairs of India, it was established by an Act of Parliament in 1784 to supervise the activities of the East India Company. should be abolished,
(ind that the Foreign Office should be asked to take the
necessary action to give effect to this decision.