Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [‎172v] (344/544)

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given a passage through the Dardanelles, that it should go into the Black Sea, and
should land at one or other of the ports on the southern coast of the Black Sea. I he
relief could not be confined to that part of the world, because some of the most distressed
parts of Armenia can only be reached from the Mediterranean and the Levant A geographical area corresponding to the region around the eastern Mediterranean Sea. , and no
doubt other stores would have to be sent to Alexandretta or to ports in the south. One
of the leaders of the American movement is a Dr. Gates, at Constantinople ; and Admiral
Webb, who is acting for us at Constantinople, has been in consultation with Dr. Gates
upon the matter. The idea which Admiral Webb has recommended, in agreement with
Dr. Gates, is that these expeditions should be sent ; that there should be practically
two expeditions, one to Sansum, which is a port in Turkish territory, on the southern
shore of the Black Sea, and also to Trebizond, further to the east; and that another
expedition should go to Alexandretta, in the northern corner of the Levant A geographical area corresponding to the region around the eastern Mediterranean Sea. . Admiral
Webb proposes this, which I think is a very fair suggestion. He says a good deal of
hard work wdl be involved, and you want people who know something of the country,
which the American missionaries and philanthropists probably would not, and he
prop ses to attach two or three British officers to these parties, unless that is likely to
cause trouble with the French, which to my mind it would not. That would be. an
excellent thing to do, I think, both by way of facilitating the object of the Mission,
and, if necessary, of keeping a watch upon the activities of our American friends.
Admiral Webb’s proposal is that we should charter, fill up, and send two ships, one to
go to the Black Sea and the other to go to Alexandretta. The case is enormously
urgent. It is impossible to exaggerate the degree of distress. Would a proposal of
that, sort, to send these ships to those two quarters, interfere with the general scheme
which it is so essential to maintain ?
SIR JOHN BEALE: I am afraid I do not know anything about the politics of
what you have been telling us to-day. My view is that when you come nearer home,
to these other countries, you are almost sure to find that critical jealousies and troubles
will make it almost impossible for you really to relieve, and that there will have to be
some sort of Inter-Allied relief. It is a possibility. I suggest that, if you agree to
America doing this, America should do it. As to America being the sole body charged
with the relief of Poland, Serbia, Albania, and places of that sort, you may find you are
conceding a principle.
LORD ROBERT CECIL : What is the argument ? I do not see that it would
matter very much if America relieved the whole of the places.
SIR JOHN BEALE : If that is accepted—I do not know.
LORD ROBERT CECIL : Let us think it out for a moment. Take Poland,
# which is probably the most contentious of all these countries, or one of them.
Supposing America relieves Poland and thereby acquires great merit in Poland, and
great influence.
SIR JOHN BEALE: Or great demerit. Their idea of relief maybe less than
other countries.
LORD ROBERT CECIL: Take the two cases. If America gets great merit,
how does that harm us or anybody else ? She is not going to try and exer cise any
political influence in Poland ; she would be insane to wish to do such a thing. If she
is not, I do not see that it matters. She gets a number of headlines in the “ Daily
Mail,” but that does not matter.
SIR JOHN BEALE : 1 hope that is the true view, because it will make life
easier for this country. My own view is that probably you will find that you could
not do it, as a British nation, for there you have no further influence.
LORD ROBERT CECIL : Our attitude could easily be this to say to America,
“ We think you will make a mess of this, but if you insist on doing this alone, do it
alone; only if you are going to do it alone, it must be alone; we will not be formally
responsible unless we are really responsible; if you choose to take these things out of
our hands and do them by yourself, very well, you must go on and do it, but it
must be clear that you are doing it.”
SIR JOHN BEALE : That is a position which would be difficult to maintain.
LORD ROBERT CECIL: Then it would break down. Then, if the Americans
come to us and say “We cannot do it,” then we can say “ You must come into
our scheme.”