Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [‎181v] (362/544)

Caucasus and
Armenia.
Syria and
Palestine.
Middle Eastern
Questions, with a
View to the Peace
Conference.
Financial Aid to
the Trans-Caspian
Government.
1. The Chairman said that the Chief of the Imperial General
Staff, who had been unavoidably prevented from being present at
the last meeting of the Committee when the question of the
Caucasus and Armenia had been discussed with a view to the Peace
Conference, wished to have an opportunity of expressing his views.
He further informed the Committee that, owing to the great and
urgent pressure of work thrown upon the War Cabinet clerical staff
in connection with the session of the Supreme War Council held in
London during the early part of the week, it had not been possible
to circulate copies of the shorthand notes of the discussion of the
2nd instant, prior to the meeting. In the circumstances he
suggested that it might be desirable that the Chief of the Imperial
General Staff should see the shorthand notes, and that copies of
General Wilson’s statement should be circulated to the Committee,
before the discussion was resumed.
The Committee decided —
(a.) To adjourn the discussion until the C.I.G.S. was in
possession of a copy of the shorthand notes, and until
copies of his own statement had been circulated to
members.
(b.) That General Macdonogh should furnish the Secretary, for
circulation to members before the next meeting, with
copies of the agreement arrived at between the British
and French military authorities in December 1917.
2. The Chairman made an opening statement in which he
reviewed our commitments and the history of events in respect of
Syria and Palestine, and concluded with suggestions as to the policy
to be adopted by our representatives at the Peace Conference.
{The text of this statement and of the subsequent discussion is
printed as an Annex to these Minutes.)
3. The Committee decided—
To reassemble on Monday, the 9th instant, at the same hour and
place, in order to resume the discussion of (a) Syria and
Palestine, (b) Caucasus and Armenia, and to consider the
case of the Hejaz and Arabia.
4. With reference to the 38th meeting of the Committee
(Minute 3 (h) ), the Committee had before them a series of recent
telegrams which had passed between the Government of India and
the 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. in regard to the question of financing the Trans-
Caspian Government (E.C.-2504, 2508,2509, 2553, 2579, and 2585).
Sir A. Hirtzel said that the financial situation in Trans-Caspia
had reached a critical stage, and a further decision by the Committee
was urgently required. The situation was as follows. His Majesty’s
Government had promised a lump sum in sterling or drafts in full
discharge, both of actual liabilities incurred and of any definite
promises that General Malleson may have made to the Askabad
Government of financial support. Malleson was at present
apparently unable to state the amount of his actual liabilities, but
he said that he had named no sum, and had made no promise beyond
the general assurance, which he gave, in August last, that as long as
the Trans-Caspian Government maintained themselves we would
give them military and financial aid (telegram of the 19th August,