Papers of the Interdepartmental Conference on Middle Eastern Affairs [‎119v] (238/290)

8
The Chairman said that the attitude of the Allies and of
America offered insuperable objections to a formal peace with the
Soviet Government, which had been consistently advocated by
advanced politicians like Mr. Fisher, on the analogy of the
recognition of the French Government after the French Revolution.
Replying to a question by the Chairman, Sir William Duke said
that the withdrawal from Fars was regarded by 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. as a
fait accompli, or at any rate as chose jugee. The views recently
expressed by Sir Percy Cox were as new to 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. as they
apparently were to everyone else.
Mr. Shuchburgh concurred, and pointed out that the withdrawal
had been decided upon in principle for some months, during which no
objection had been raised. It would certainly be inclined to adhere
to the original policy. He called attention to the fact that recent
information tended to show that friction between the Afghans and
the Bolsheviks was increasing, and that the latter were growing
doubtful of the wisdom of becoming involved with the former.
This appeared to him to lesseh the chance of a full-dress attack
by the Bolsheviks against Persia.
He had seen somewhere a suggestion that the Caspian fleet
should be handed over to the Azerbaijan Government, who would be
assisted by the provision of British personnel. He did not know if
this was a practical solution of the Caspian question.
The Chairman said that he was not inclined to support the
suggestion that the command of the Caspian should be given to
the Azerbaijanis, who were not at all reliable, being to some extent
Bolshevik, and also believed to be in contact with Nuri Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. and
the Turks.
Captain Coode reminded the Conference of the request of the
Persian Government to be allowed to purchase two ships from
the Caspian fleet. He understood that the Persian Government
could not afford to buy them without our assistance, hut he
wished to point out that the guns of these ships would be of
great value for the defence of Enzeli, where there was now
only one 12-pounder. They would also form a useful nucleus for a
future Persian fleet.
The Chairman thanked the Conference for their advice, and
said that in his reply to Sir Percy Cox he would follow the lines
indicated in the course of the discussion.
He welcomed General Kadcliffe’s support of his own conviction
that the Bolshevik menace was more political than military, and
that the danger was internal rather than external.
The Future uf
Kimlistari.
The Chairman said that the Peace Conference was at present
engaged in deciding the future boundaries of Turkey.
Kurdistan was a part of the Turkish Empire inhabited by a
non-Turkish people. On this ground it was the general desire of the
Allied Powers to exclude Kurdistan from the future Turkey. The
successful realisation of this policy would depend largely on the
attitude of the Kurds themselves. If they were anxious to remain
politically connected with Turkey, the policy would naturally fail.
If, on the other hand, they wished to be separated from it, the Allied
Powers would have to consider in what manner and to what extent
they could be assisted to establish their complete independence.
The French* Government had proposed a division of Kurdistan
into two areas in which the British and French Governments should
respectively be interested. He had stoutly opposed this proposal
not only because he was not anxious to see the French in Kurdistan