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Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [164v] (328/544)
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.
10
* E.C. 2525.
LORD CURZON: About the Sykes-Picot Agreement you express the view
which you have always taken, that by our signature we are bound. Is that so in the
circumstances of this case? You will remember that the Sykes-Picot Agreement was
concluded under conditions wholly different from those existing now. L think
General Macdonogh has elaborated that in his Paper. That can be established.
We ourselves, in our discussions with the French, have told them that we regard
the Agreement as utterly out of date.
LORD ROBERT CECIL: Perhaps it is not so bad as that, and I may have put
it in an exaggerated form. The position, so far as negotiations are concerned, is
this. We have written to them saying that, in agreeing to the arrangement in the
first part of the agreement, by which we allowed French Governors to serve under
Allenby in Syria, although we did this we thought it was necessary to re-discuss the
whole thing with the Americans.
GENERAL SMUTS: All the whole questions?
LORD ROBERT CECIL: Yes, outside, and they accepted that in their first
letter, and we took a note of their acceptance. Later they said this—which was
thoroughly impudent—that they did not mean to give up their rights under the old
Agreement. That does make it somewhat better, but that is our best position. At
the same time I do feel this, that the French have a right to say, ‘'It is true the
circumstances are different, but when you are making an Agreement, in the middle
of a war, about the ultimate settlement, for certain reasons, it is because you know
the circumstances may be different that you wish to get the Agreement settled at
that moment and you cannot afterwards come back and say you would not have
signed the Agreement if you had known what the circumstances were going to be
later on." I do not say it is hopeless, for I think we shall get what we want about
it. All I say is, that we must not lose sight of the difficult diplomatic position we
are in if, for some reason or another, we are not on very friendly terms with the
Americans. May I make one other observation, in the nature of an apology. I am
not personally responsible, it is the Secretary of State, and he is not here. He has a
very elaborate Paper* which has been prepared by the Foreign Office, a new Paper
dealing with the whole subject setting out with maps all the existing state of things,
all the Agreements which deal with it. It is an extremely good Paper, prepared by
Sir Eyre Crowe and Mr. Toynbee. I have been through it myself, and I really think
it will be of the greatest assistance to the Committee. It is before the Secretary of
State. It is rather long, and apparently he has had it several days, but has not been
able to read it. I do not think it has yet been distributed. When the Secretary of
State has had an opportunity of reading it I will have it circulated.
LORD CURZON: Does the Secretary of State agree to the proposals?
LORD ROBERT CECIL: I think so. It has an elaborate policy section, which
ought to be done as regards each.
LORD CURZON: Does it include the countries we are discussing here?
LORD ROBERT CECIL: Yes. I do not know that it goes into the exact
details. I am not sure whether it says anything very definite about who is to be
the ruler or not.
MR. MONTAGU: The personality of the ruler seems to be the one point in
controversy. There is no other difference of opinion between any of the authorities
we have consulted.
GENERAL SMUTS: It seems to me we want now to proceed to get the
Americans behind us. They are the only people who can get us out of the Sykes-
Picot Agreement. If they take a determined stand they can help us out of this
impossible position. The best way to do that is to get the Arabs behind us.
MR. MONTAGU: Y'es. I am not prepared myself to back any of the schemes
suggested in the Memorandum.
GENERAL SMUTS: Supposing this consultation goes on, and the Arabs
locally all over that area, from Basra to Mosul, express by a very large majority
their desire to have Abdullah as their future ruler, does not that settle the question?
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.
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- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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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