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Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [57v] (114/544)
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.
4
ruption might most effectively be secured by closing the sea route
from Baku to Krasnovodsk, and the War Office had consulted the
Admiralty about the possibility of motor-boats and seaplanes being
sent up to Enzeli for this purpose. As regards the officers who
should be sent to Krasnovodsk, he thought they should, in the first
instance, be regarded as a Mission.
Lord Hardinge pointed out that it was stated that the Germans
had bought two years supply of cotton in Russian Turkestan,
which they were at present unable to get hold of. He regarded it
as most important that we should prevent this cotton getting into
their hands.
Mr. Montagu reminded the Committee that it had been told
that, as regards sending troops to the Hamadan line, it was not a
question of General Marshall being unable to spare the men, but a
question of supplying them if they were sent. He thought that
every officer and man taken from the Hamadan-Resht road should
be replaced. If the Committee decided that officers should be sent
to Krasnovodsk, the Government of India should be informed and
asked that any officers proceeding into Trans-Caspia from Meshed,
which was now under the Indian Government’s control, should be
instructed to get into touch with those sent via Krasnovodsk.
The Chairman informed the Committee, in regard to the point
raised by General Radcliffe that the War Office were not sure that
General Marshall was fully seized of the importance of interrupting
the Trans-Caspian railway, that he had authorised the despatch of a
telegram (E.C.-653) on the 28th ultimo, by the War Office to the
G.O.C., Mesopotamia, to the effect that “ His Majesty’s Government
were not satisfied that we were taking full advantage of our
opportunities, or that in North-West Persia and on the Caspian our
maximum effort is being made. ... We are confident that you
will realise now that your main attention must be directed towards
Persia and the Caspian, and that in order to accomplish our objects
at Baku, on the Caspian, and at Teheran, a supreme effort will be
made by you to utilise as many troops as you are able to maintain
in North-West Persia.”
The Committee approved the despatch of the British Missions
within the limits so far observed.
(Initialled) C. of K.
2, Whitehall Gardens, S.W.,
Judy 1, 1918.
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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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