Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [‎146r] (291/544)

APPENDIX (B).
Draft Telegram to General Allenby.
(To be deciphered by Personal Staff.)
OWING to rapid development of your campaign, which confronts both British and
French Governments with number of problems, the Foreign Office desire to send
Sir Mark Sykes on temporary political mission to Syria,
With your concurrence and proviso that Colonel Sir Mark Sykes will be subject to
your authority, and submit his reports through you, it is proposed to give him the
foliowinsr instructions :—
(u.) Report on requirements of political staff.
(6.) Advise with regard to co-ordination of Anglo-French political liaison from
point of view of Eastern Committee and with regard to recent undertakings
exchanged between French and British Foreign Offices.,
(c.) Assist in promoting good relations between Arabs and French.
(d.) Enquire and report on the question of eventual introduction of provisional
civil administration in Palestine when military situation permits.
I hope that you will agree with above as Sykes is aware of latest developments
vis-d-vis Paris and may be useful to you.
Please let me know if you suggest any modifications to above instructions.
APPENDIX (C).
E.C.-2037. —
I CIRCULATE to my colleagues a memorandum prepared by Mr. Oliphant at my
request, and also a draft telegram to carry out the policy settled at the last meeting of
the Eastern Committee.
Foreign Office, Octo ier 22, 1918.
(Initialled) R. C.
MEMORANDUM.
AT the end of 1917 anarchy reigned in Persia; Bolshevist and enemy propaganda
was making great headway; and the situation throughout the country was most
precarious.
Sir C. Marling expressed the view that the only means whereby we could maintain
a friendly Cabinet in power would be at the price of agreeing to cancel the 1917
Agreement, to admit Persian representatives to the eventual Peace Congress, and to
place the South Persia Rifles under neutral officers. He added, however, that in the
long run we should have to be dependent on a show of force.
In March it was finally decided by His Majesty’s Government to send troops into
Persia, and Sir C. Marling was instructed to inform the Persian Government accordingly.
Owing, however, to a phenomenal winter and the consequent impossibility of moving
troops through tfie passes, it was not until June that any adequate force arrived
in Persia.
Later, the Turks occupied Tabreez and advanced through a large part of
Azerbaijan, and, moreover, British forces had eventually to leave Baku. His Majesty’s
Government, therefore, being without any material assets, found it more than ever
necessary to secure the return to power of Vossugh-ed-Dowleh and a friendly
Government, and with a view to supporting them negotiations and conversations were
continually carried on at Teheran regarding the disposal of the South Persia Rifles,
which since their institution remained an eyesore to the Persians, as being to all intents
and purposes a British force.
Such was the situation in August that Vossugh-ed-Dowleh again raised the
question of the employment of neutral officers with the force, as his own position in the
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