Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [‎100r] (199/544)

5
Trane-Caspia and
Russian Turkestan.
The Mirjawa
Railway.
3. The Chairman read the must recent telegrams, from which it
appeared that the Trans-Caspian and Turkoman forces had been com
pelled to fall back from Merv toward the Persian frontier, and it
might be that they would have to retire first on Askabad, then
Kizil Arvat, and, finally, Krasnovodsk.
General Macdonogh thought that the situation in Traus-Gaspia
was grave, and owina to the enormous difficulty of getting reinforce
ment either to or from Meshed, the onlv way of dealing with the
problem satisfactorily would be to secure the active intervention o
the \mir of Afo'hani’sta.n, in alliance wiih the Amir of Bokhara.
Mr. Montagu pointed out that this had already been suggested
to the Government of India, who l>ad been emphatic in their views
that no active intervention could be expected or asked from the
Amir of Afghanistan, whose policy was purely defensive against
both sides Even if he were willing to intervene on our side, such
a step might probably cost him his throne. . ,
General Cox stated that the only means of getting further rein
forcements into Trans-Caspia depended on the immediate extension
of the Mirjawa railway in the direction of Meshed.
The Committee decided—
That the situation might he represented to the Government of
India, hut that it was undesirable to suggest from here the
application of any pressure to the Amir of Afghanistan.
The Committee had be lore them E.C. 121J. .
The Chairman asked whether there was now any change in the
view which the General Staff had held for some years, namely that
it was undesirable from the point of view of the ultiinate defence
of India to lessen the gap which separated tne 1 rans-Gaspian and
Baluchistan railway systems. . , w i _ nn
General Macdonogh replied that, m view of the changed con
ditions now apparent, the General Stuff would be willing to agieeto
the extension of the Mirjawa railway for 90 miles any further
extension beyond this distance to be reconsidered on the completion
of the 90 miles. , . . . • r + y^ limited
Lord Robert Cecil asked whether, m view of the hunted
amount of railway material available, the extension of the Mirjawa
railway was more vital than any alternative construction such as that
from Mesopotamia towards Hamadan. . XT ,1 \vr +
Mr Montagu was of opinion that the situation in NortmWest
Persia would probably develop in the near tuture while the Irans-
GasnTan sit ,ati«m would be perpetuated for a tar longer period and
therefore the strengthening of communications along the as
Persian cordon appeared the more important. , , , ;
TVneral Macdonogh stated that the General btati took the mow
that the situation in North-West Persia would either develop in the
or Persia. tpWram from the Commander-in- Chief in
General ^ox re ‘ t? ‘ , j an y possible means of
India urging the importance of not aba. don J,/ persia or Xran8 .
resisting enemy ailian^eK on i . .. I , nroposeif Mirjawa extension
Caspia. there were sutbcient rails for t...p g , ; h; th C haman
and the Mesopotamia extension and for repienisni .
reserve^ ^ ^ that ^ extension for 90 miles
ought to be granted, the more so as the .overnn . •
already nrovided for it—in addition to the Hamadan ext