Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [‎65r] (129/544)

5
The Kin" of
Heiljaz and
Ibn Sai d.
Movements of
Sir G. Macartney.
Palestinian affairs and that the Italians should have a com-
f lementary representative to be the Adviser for Italo-Paleslinian
affairs. If the British advanced into the French sphere and set up
a civil administration, iu which the French were not associated with
us, there would be trouble. The War Cabinet had decided that
when a civil administration was set up in Palestine, M. Picot should
be associated with us in it.
The Chairman had no recollection of such a decision.
Lord Hardinge thought that all that the War Cabinet* had
decided was that when there was a civil administration in
Palestine, it would be international.
General Macdonogh said that M. Picot’s desire was to become
French Political Adviser to the British General as we advanced
into Syria.
General Smuts thought it was impossible to agree to this.
The Committee decided—
To defer the discussion of Sir Mark Sykes' Paper until their
next Meeting.
4. The attention of the Committee was invited to two telegrams
from Sir R. Wingate, Fos. 1050 and 1055, of the 9th July, 1918
(E.C.-7G9 and E.C.-770J, stating that the relations between King
Hussein and Ibn Saud were becoming increasingly strained and
might lead to hostility by their respective adherents or even to an
open rupture. Sir Reginald suggested that an identic message
should be sent to King Hussein and Ibn Saud ; that the King’s son,
Abdulla, should be recalled to Mecca ; and that, until we w r ere able
to make a more definite statement of policy as regards the future of
the Arabian Peninsula, we could only maintain our temporising
attitude and urge all parties to put aside local disputes until the
the Turks had been defeated.
Sir Mark Sykes said he had prepared an alternative message to
that suggested by the High Commissioner. He also pressed the
desirability of a British officer being attached to Ibn Saud to act in
the same capacity that Colonel Wilson acted towards King Hussein.
Mr. Shuckburgh said that, if the Committee decided in favour of
the latter suggestion, a telegram would be sent to Sir P. Cox and
repeated to the Indian Government asking that a suitable officer
should be selected and sent out to Ibn Saud
The Chairman drew the attention of the Committee to some
valuable notes on Ibn Saud, prepared by Colonel Hamilton, Political
Agent at howeit, some months ago (E.C.-745).*
The Committee decided—
That the question was one which might le left to the Foreign
Office to decide.^
5. Mr. Shuckburgh briefly summarised a telegram from Sir G.
Macartney, dated the 19th June, 1918, which had been forwarded
by the Viceroy on the 8 th July (E.C.-757). Macartney was leaving
India shortly, and he thought he might do useful work by taking
the Tashkend route instead of the Indian route. He would be
accompanied by Major Bailey as far as Tashkend, whence he
* Note by the Secretary .—At their 308th Meeting on the 31st December, 1917,
attention was called io the recrudescence of French demands fur political rights in
Palestine It was further pointed out that the French military contiibution in
Palestine had been extremely small, and that, for the present, at any rate, it was
absolutely essential to continue the military government of occupied territory. It
would seem that the French entertained the immediate hope of an International
or Inter-Allied Commission, with a Frenchman at the head of it, to bike over
political interests in Palestine, and more particularly of the Holy Places.
>io decision was arrived at by the War Cabinet on the matter,
f Note .—A copy of the telegram sent by the Foreign Office as the result of this
discussion is printed as an Appendix to these Minutes.
[3d 5—18]
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