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Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [234v] (468/544)
The record is made up of 1 file (272 folios). It was created in 13 Mar 1918-7 Jan 1919. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: 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. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
16
MR. BALFOUR: I do not object to No. 4, because I think it shows a sort of
ideal, but I do not think it will work. It seems to me to be rather an advantage.
o
LORD ROBERT CECIL : I object to it really in substance. I say it is perfectly
impossible for you to do it: I should like to prevent any other Power doing it, but it is
evident we could not do it, I think.
MR. BALFOUR : Do you not think we could avoid seeking concessions ?
LORD CURZON : It is what we do in Afghanistan. We deliberately dissociate
ourselves. Sir Hamilton Grant will correct me if I am wrong, but, as far as I remember,
anything in the way of setting up a
factory
An East India Company trading post.
or ammunition works, or anything of that
sort, is always done by the Amir on his own initiative. Of course, he is not encouraged
by us.
SIR HAMILTON GRANT: That is so, and latterly he has been inviting
American firms and we have never objected. We have given him an absolutely free
hand to employ and call in any firm he likes.
LORD ROBERT CECIL: Supposing a British firm comes to you and says, “ We
should like to have this thing, cannot you say a word for us? ” Would you say “ No ”
to that ?
SIR HAMILTON GRANT : Yes ; we have never done it. We leave it entirely
to him. When they go up we give them a letter saying that they go at their own risk,
and that if they die an awful death when they get there we will not go to war
about it.
LORD ROBERT CECIL : That is not much in the way of support.
SIR HAMILTON GRANT: No.
LORD CURZON : There is some advantage in this clause. I think myself it is a
good thing.
MR. BALFOUR : I rather like advertising what we wish to happen, even if it
does not happen.
LORD CURZON : After all, we only say “ It is desirable.” I think we should
cat out, “ nor to support their subjects in seeking such.”
MR BALFOUR: That is the Afghanistan policy.
LORD ROBERT CECIL : I ttiink it is a rather different case from Afghanistan,
because we do not allow anybody else to do it.
SIR HAMILTON GRANT : Jeddah has been an open port for years.
LORD ROBERT CECIL : You will have all your commercial people saying,
“ The effect is that we alone are to be deprived of the assistance of our Government.”
MR. BALFOUR : In other words, we shall keep the treaty and they will not.
LORD ROBERT CECIL : Yes. There are many advantages from a commercial
point of view.
LORD CURZON : What are the views of the Indian Government ?
MR. MONTAGU : I do not mind at all, so far as I am concerned. I am rather
inclined to think it would be difficult to work it. My difficulty is entirely that we
would work it well and honestly, and that the French will work it dishonestly. When
I use that expression I do not mean other than that the French will seek, by means of
jsupporting their subjects, to penetrate politically.
LORD ROBERT CECIL : See what happens. In these cases the man after the
concession goes to the French Government and says: “ You know the English are
straining every nerve to get these things ; you really must help us.” Tne French
Government, being more at the imrcy of their commercial people than we are, hasten
to do it. I do not believe that they are wickeder than we are.
MR. BALFOUR: Oh yes, they are.
LORD ROBERT CECIL: Perhaps they may be, that is really the way it works.
MR. BALFOUR : Yes.
About this item
- Content
This file is composed of papers produced by the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee, which was chaired by George Curzon for most of its existence. The file contains a complete set of printed minutes, beginning with the committee's first meeting on 28 March 1918, and concluding with its final meeting on 7 January 1919 (ff 6-214 and ff 227-272).
The file begins with two copies of a memorandum by Curzon, dated 13 March 1918, proposing the formation of the Eastern Committee. This is followed by a memorandum by Arthur James Balfour, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, approving Curzon's proposal, and a copy of a procedure for the newly created committee, outlining arrangements for committee meetings and the dissemination of information to committee members.
Also included is a set of resolutions, passed by the committee in December 1918, in order to guide British representatives at the Paris Peace conference (ff 216-225). The resolutions cover the following: the Caucasus and Armenia; Syria; Palestine; Hejaz and Arabia; Mesopotamia, Mosul, Baghdad and Basra. They are preceded by a handwritten note written by Curzon 'some years later', which remarks on how they are a 'rather remarkable forecast of the bulk of the results since obtained.'
- Extent and format
- 1 file (272 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 272; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- Mss Eur F112/274
- Title
- Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee
- Pages
- 1r:214v, 216r:272v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence