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Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [63r] (125/544)
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.
Lord Ciirzofi,
. [Tins Document is the Property-of His Britannic Msjcsty’s Govcmmsut. j
Printed for the War Cabinet. July 1918.
SECRET.
E.C. 19th Minutes.
4
WAR CABINET.
EASTERN COMMITTEE.
Minutes of a Meeting held in Lord Curzons Room at the Privy Council Office,
on Thursday, July 11, 1918, at 5-30 p.m.
Present:
The Right lion, the Earl Curzon of Kedleston, K.G., G.C.S.I.. G.C I.E
(in the
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.I.,
G.C.M.G.
[Knight] Grand Cross of [the Order of] St Michael and St George (accolade).
, G.C.I.E., G.O.V.O., I.S.O.,
Permanent Under-Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs.
Air. L. Oliphant, C.M.G., Foreign Office.
Sir Mark Sykes, Bart., ALP., Foreign
Office.
Chair).
Lieutenant-General the Right Hon. J. C.
Smuts, K.C.
The Right Hon. E. S. AIontagu, ALP.,
Secretary of State for India.
Air. J. E. Shuckburgh,
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. Al. W. AIacdonogh,
K.C.AI.G., C.B., Director of Alilitary
Intelligence (representing the Chief of
the Imperial General Staff).
Also attended:
Air. Dudley Ward, C.B.E., Treasury.
Lieutenant-Colonel L. Storr, Secretary.
Payment of the
Cossack Division.
[365—18]
L THE Committee had before them a copy of a telegram
No. 610 from Sir C. Alarliug (E.C.-763), stating that a demonstration,
involving the closing of the bazaars, and offering armed resistance
to any attempt by the Government to open them forcibly, was
started on the night of the 4th July, but had been immediately
suppressed. Marling drew attention to the fact that the Cossack
division, which was paid by us, had been used to crush a political
agitation against a Cabinet unfriendly to us. The Officer Command
ing the Cossacks had been placed in a peculiarly difficult position,
and it was not easy to see how he could have acted otherwise than
he did. The question arose whether it was worth while our
continuing to pay a force that could be used against us ; and it had
been suggested to Alarling by his Persian friends that we should
threaten the Shah to stop paying his Guard unless he dismissed the
present Cabinet in favour of Vossugh. Alarling, however, did not
recommend this; he thought the threat would fall flat, and would,
further, rouse the latent Anglophobia of Russians all over Northern
Persia into activity, while, with a friendly Cabinet in office, some
use could still be made of the force.
General Alacdonogh submitted a paper (E.C.-784) which had
been prepared in the War Office with reference to the above
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 [63r] (125/544), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F112/274, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100069672677.0x00007e> [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