Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [‎183r] (365/544)

[365—40] C
ANNEX.
Shorthand Notes of a Meeting of the Eastern Committee held in Lord Curzons Room
at the Privy Council Office, on Thursday, December 5, 1918, at 3 p.m.
CAUCASUS.
LORD CURZON : At our last meeting we discussed, I am sorry to say in the
absence of General Wilson, the questions of Armenia and the Caucasus. I am afraid
that he and the other members of the Committee have not had the advantage of
seeing in type what was then said, because, owing to the great call made upon our
staff in connection with the meetings of the Supreme War Council, it has not been
possible to put it into shape, and, indeed, I. have only just received the report myself.
I understand that the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, before we proceed with the
business of the day, would like to say something either about Armenia or the
Caucasus, so perhaps we may take his statement first, if he has one to make.
GENERAL WILSON : I understood, Sir, that at the last meeting there was
some question of sending troops, other than British troops, to Batum.
LORD CURZON : It was not raised in that exact form. The suggestion was
made by myself, I think, and agreed in hy some of the other members of the Com
mittee, that, whatever the future of the Caucasus, there must be at any rate a
temporary military occupation of that part of the country. How long it will last, of
course, it is impossible to foretell, but certainly the prospect was considered here of
British troops remaining for a time in occupation of Batum, the line of railway to the
Caspian, and Baku itself.
GENERAL WILSON : Quite. That was what I understood.
GENERAL SMUTS : We did discuss the possible ultimate disposal of the
country, that Trans-Caucasia might go to the guardianship of some Power, but that
was an ultimate possibility.
GENERAL WILSON : Partly that, and partly a paper by Sir Eyre Crowe, in
which he eliminates everybody except the French. I have written a paper now,
which 1 was going to give you if I might, on this subject of the future disposal of the
Caucasus country.
LORD ROBERT CECIL : We can discuss it.
GENERAL WILSON : We shall plead strongly against the French coming in.
LORD CLRZON : Would you like us to read your Paper? I think it would be
as well, perhaps, if you first read what passed here on Monday, because the gravest
suspicions were expressed in some quarters—by myself among others—as to the
prospect of the French acquiring control over those regions in the future. That may or
may not be your view.
GENERAL WILSON : It is.
LORD CURZON : 1 think perhaps if you will read what we said upon the matter
and then put in your Paper it c;m be circulated, and if you wish to do so w T e will
take up the matter at another meeting.
LORD ROBERT CECIL : We must take it up, for no decision was taken at all.
GENERAL MACDONOGH: I was not at Monday’s meeting, either, and I
should very much like to point out the importance of Trans-Caucasia and Cis-Caucasia
to us, and to draw special attention to the agreement I made with General koch on the
i23rd December of last year, which put the whole of the Caucasus within the British
sphere as against the French, the French being confined to the Ukraine and the
Crimea.
GENERAL SMUTS : Did they get the Crimea?
GENERAL MACDONOGH: Yes.
GENERAL SMUTS: There is a telegram from Admiral Calthorpe in which he
asks for troops from General Franchet d’Esperey to come and occupy Sebastopol.
GENERAL MACDONOGH: That was in their sphere. It seems to me that
that agreement is as valuable to us as the Sykes-Picot Agreement is to the trench.