Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [‎174v] (348/544)

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LORD ROBERT CECIL : “ And he instructs Mr. Laughlin to enquire if any
objection exists on the part of His M;ijesty’s authorities to the proposed action by the
Committee.” That means, you say, there is no objection.
LORD CURZON : We thank you very much for attending, Sir John Beale.
(Sir John Beale withdrew.)
GENERAL THWAITES : There is the point of supply from the South. General
Allenby finds it difficult to supply his own troops North of the railway.
LORD CURZON : From the South, I mean ; the Armenian Relief Fund in this
country should be urged to put its back into it and send out.
GENERAL TH WAITES : It is a question of communication.
LORD CURZON : Supplies could be sent by sea.
GENERAL TH WAITES : At the present moment General Allenby has stated
that he finds it extremely difficult to feed his own troops.
LORD CURZON : I have no doubt that General Allenby is doing all he can.
We will send out at once, and we really ought to be most active.
The question of American action with regard to Armenian relief is only a
secondary one really, and we are here mainly to prepare our case with regard to the
Peace Conference. It really was with that object that 1 made the statement I did.
I suppose we ought really to form some idea in our own minds—that is our function
first, as to whether we do favour the idea of France as against America, or America, as
against France, becoming the mandatory of the Powers for the constitution ol an
Armenian State of the future ; and secondly, what are our ideas as to the kind
of Armenian State for which we ought to work.
LORD ROBERT CECIL: May I say a word about that. You said, I thought
with perfect truth, that it would be very difficult to have a different mandatory State
dealing with Armenia and the new Caucasus Republics, Georgia, Azerbaijan and
Daghestan. If that is so, the proposition really is whether France or America should
deal with the district south of the Caucasus, running along and including the six
Armenian vilayets between the three seas. You have only to state that to be perfectly
certain that the Americans will not take it on. They are never going, to have anything
to do with Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Daghestan. Conceivably they might be induced to
take up Armenia, because of the sentimental interest that exists with regard to it, but
they certainly would not take up anything else. I do not think myself, from our point
of view, it really matters two straws, or that it could be said it would be disadvantageous
to have America there. Then the question is really whether there is any reason why
we should not give to France the whole of that district, first, as to the question
whether we favour a large or small Armenia. The figures that have been given to me—-
I do not know that they are trustworthy—state that in the six vilayets of Armenia
before the war the population was 35 per cent. Armenian, 25 per cent. Turk, and 20
per cent. Kurd, and some extra minor populations,/Christian and Pagan, of about 20
per cent. That shows, what I suppose is true, that before the war, throughout the six
vilayets, the Armenians were the most numerous body, although probably not in a
majority in any district, or, at any rate, in very few districts, lhat is the generally
accepted view. It is probably true, I should think, that by now they are not even the
most numerous body in that district. Still, there is a very great objection to allowing
a change to take place in the political complexion of the country because of the
massacres of the Turks, 'therefore, I confess I am rather inclined to favour a large
Armenia. Historically, there is a good deal to be said for it. Then, what else are you
going to do if you do not do that ? Are you going to give back a portion of Armenia
to the Turks? That would be a most objectionable thing to do, surely, as a result of
their massacres; and what portion of it, because the Armenians are scattered all over it.
You would have to remove the Armenians from the north to the south, which is
Commander Hogarth-’s plan, and then give the north part back to the lurks. That is
objectionable from every point of view if it can be avoided, partly on the grounds which
I have given, and partly also that you would enable the Turks to have a direct con
nection between Anatolia Peninsula that forms most of modern-day Turkey. and the Turkish population in the Caucasus, which is exactly
what we wish to avoid, so far as Pan-Turanianism is concerned. We want to get a
barrier across from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, if it can be done reasonably.
Therefore, I myself am in favour of a large Armenia. That is merely on its merits.