Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [‎205v] (410/544)

ANNEX.
Shorthand Notes of a Meeting of the Committee held in Lord Curzon’s Room at
the Privy Council Office, on Monday, the \§th December, 1918, at 5 p.m.
LORD CURZON: At our last meeting I undertook, as the Committee will
remember, to draw up some draft resolutions recording what I thought was
approximately the result of our discussions about the Caucasus, Armenia, Syria and
Palestine, and I undertook to circulate them to the Committee so that the members
might see and, if necessary, comment upon them. I had the advantage of showing
them to General Smuts, who thought that they were a fair summary of our pro
ceedings. They are necessarily couched in rather general terms—I do not think
one could go further than that—and it is for the Committee to tell me whether, on
the whole, they are a fairly accurate summary of the conclusions which we reached.
LORD ROBERT CECIL: Yes, I think they are very good, if I may say so.
There are one or two small points to which I would like to draw attention.
LORD CURZON: We will take them in turn, starting with the Caucasus and
Armenia, and anybody who wishes to comment on any of the draft resolutions can
do so.
RESOLUTIONS AS TO THE CAUCASUS AND ARMENIA.
MR. MONTAGU: On No. 1 I have no great point of (substance, but I want to
ask whether it is advisable to use the words “ We desire.” Perhaps I am expressing
a view which I alone suggest, but I do not think the Caucasus is very important
to us one way or the other. All your other resolutions seem to me to be couched in
language which is not so vehement as the expression “ We desire to .see strong
independent States.” Could you have a little more colourless phrase than
“We desire”?
LORD CURZON: “ W~e ” is not the Government ; it is this Committee. I think
you must bear that in mind. We are an Advisory Committee to the Government;
we are not the Government. We cannot dictate to the Government or our repre
sentatives what line they should take in Paris. We are merely indicating to them
what is the view of the Committee. I certainly understood from our discussion
here that it was the unanimous feeling of this Committee, at any rate so far as it
was expressed, that these independent States should come into existence in the
Caucasus. It is certainly mine, but I may be exaggerating the degree to which
other people adhered to it.
LORD ROBERT CECIL: I should have thought we were all agreed that it
would be desirable. It is a question, I understand, merely of the actual drafting?
MR. MONTAGU : Yes.
LORD ROBERT CECIL: We could easily modify “ We desire.” There would
be no difficulty in using some other phrase, if that would meet you.
LORD CURZON: I do not quite know w r hat Mr. Montagu wants. What
substitute would you like to put? It does not make much difference.
MR. MONTAGU: I will not press it.
LORD CURZON: Then resolutions 2 and 3. The independent Republic of
Daghestan appears to be in some peril, from a telegram that came to-day.
LORD ROBERT CECIL: Yes, there is much confusion there.
LORD CURZON: Then 4, 5, 6, 7.
LORD ROBERT CECIL: Taking 6 and 7 together, I do not know that it is
intended, but it looks rather as if the conclusion is that what we should prefer
would be that these should go back to Russia,. You say in 6 that it is entirely a
matter fo(r them whether they have any concern with Russia. Then you go on
to deal with other possible alternatives, namely, America, France, and Great Britain,
and you reject them all. You see my point?
LORD CURZON: I do not think that is so.