Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [‎58r] (115/544)

B
[365—17]
Lord CurzoB.
[This Document is the Property*>of His Britannic Majesty’s Government, 1
Vrinted for the War Cabinet.. July 1918.
SECRET.
E.C. 18th Minutes.
> 4
WAR CABINET.
EASTERN COMMITTEE.
Minutes of a Meeting of the Eastern Committee held in Lord Curzons Room at the
Privy Council Office on Thursday, July 4, 1918, at 5.30 p.m.
Present 1 :
4
The Right Hon. the Earl Curzon of Kedleston, K.G., G.C.S.L, G.C.I.E.
(in the Chair).
Lieutenant-General the Right Hon. J. C.
Smuts, K.C.
The Right Hon. Lord Robert Cecil, K.C.,
M.P., Minister of Blockade (representing
the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs).
Major-General Sir G. M. W. Macdonouh,
K.C.M.G., C.B., Director of Military
Intelligence (representing the Chief of
the Imperial General Staff).
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. .
Also attended :
Lieutenant-General Sir H. V. Cox, K.C.M.G., Q.B., C.S.L, 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. .
Mr. H. W. Kennard, Foreign Office.
Lieutenant-Colonel L. Storr, Secretary.
British Policy in
Afghanistan.
1. WITH reference to E.C., 16th Meeting, Minute 2, the
Committee had before them two telegrams, dated the 1st July,
from the Viceroy (E.C.-089, and E.C.-692).
The Chairman said the first of these telegrams was the reply
which the Indian Government proposed to send to the rather
troublesome letter which had been received from the Amir, and the
second was their reply to the Committee’s telegram about policy.
He thought that the Indian Government had not quite apprehended
what the Committee had in view. The Committee had not contem
plated a new instrument, or treaty of alliance, but the active
military co-operation of the Amir. They had further thought that
if the Amir expressed any desire to recover Penjdeh, the Indian
Government might give him to understand that they would lend
him money ami men to assist him to achieve his object. Ix)rd
Curzon thought that the Government of India had given rather a
wider ambit to the Committee’s proposals than the Committee had
intended.
Mr. Montagu said that he agreed that there had been apparently
some confusion of thought on the part of the Government of India;