Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [‎250r] (499/544)

3
Middle and Near
Eastern Questions:
Constantinople.
of their respective nationalities, especially the Magyars, who were a
source of considerable trouble and embarrassment.
The Chairman said that the evacuation of the prisoners was
mainly a question of shipping. He had seen in the course of the
last day or so a telegram to the effect that they would be evacuated
as soon as General Thomson could arrange at Baku for their disposal
and return to their own countries.
The Committee decided—
To authorise the Secretarj/ of State for India to send a telegram
to the Indian Government in the sense proposed hy Mr.
Montagu, and on the lines suggested in the concluding para
graph o f General Cox's Memorandum.
2. With reference to Eastern Committee 44th Meeting, Minute 1,
the Committee had before them the following papers on the subject
of the future of Constantinople :—
“ Turkey in Europe.” Memorandum by Sir Eyre Crowe
(E.C.-2822). Memorandum by the Admiralty (E.C.-2823).
“ Strategic Importance of Constantinople.’ Memorandum by
the General Staff (E.C.-2824).
The Chairman said that unfortunately most of the papers before
the Committee had only been received in time to be circulated just
before the Committee met. A further paper (E.C.—2841), emanating
from 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. , comprising a memorandum by Sir H. Grant,
with a covering note by Sir A. Hirtzel, had not been circulated, and
he himself had only received a copy just before the Committee
assembled. He proposed, therefore, to make an opening statement,
as a basis of discussion, briefly summarising the contents of the
various papers and the policies they severally recommended, ’there
were certain axiomatic propositions which he would submit to the
Committee, and which he thought were indisputable, and would meet
with general acceptance; and he would then indicate the general
lines of the policy which he himself would be inclined to recommend
His Majesty’s Government to adopt.
A general discussion followed the Chairman’s statement. No
decisions w^ere recorded, but at the request of Mr. Balfour the
Chairman undertook to summarize, for circulation to members of the
Committee and for use by the British delegates at the Peace
Conference, the various arguments that had been advanced at the
meeting for and against the different lines of policy that it was
possible to adopt.*
(A verbatim record of the Chairman’s statement and of the
subsequent discussion is printed as an Annex to these Minutes.)
(Initialled) C. of K.
2, Whitehall Gardens, S.W. 1,
December 23, 1918.
* Note hi/ the Secretary .—Lord Curzon’s summary subsequently appeared in the
form of a Memorandum, entitled, “ The Future of Constantinople,” and dated the 2nd
January, 1919 (War Cabinet Paper P.-85), which was circulated to the Imperial War
Cabinet and Eastern Committee.
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