Papers of the Interdepartmental Conference on Middle Eastern Affairs [‎138v] (276/290)

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as described by Mr. Montagu. The Persian policy of His Majesty’s
Government, which had culminated in the Anglo-Persian Agreement,
had its inception in the days of the Eastern Committee. At the
45th Meeting of this Committee, held on the 19th December, 1918,
the question of Persia had been exhaustively discussed. At this
meeting the War Office had been represented by Lieutenant-General
Sir G. M. W. MacDonogh, by Major-General Thwaites and by
Colonel Kisch. No conclusions had been reached at this meeting,
but the question had again been brought up at the 47th Meeting
on the 26th December, at which the War Office were repre
sented by General MacDonogh and Colonel Gribbon, and it had
been decided to resume the discussion on thm 30th of December.
On that day, the War Office being again represented by General
Ihwaites, three papers were circulated to the Committee, one by
Sir Hamilton Grant, one by Sir Charles Marling and one by
Sir Louis Mallet. A line of policy had been suggested by himself
and supported by Lord Robert Cecil, and the minutes recorded
that the meeting were generally in favour of this policy. The
Foreign Office had accordingly consulted Sir Percy Cox at Tehran
in a series of telegrams, of which one copy was invariably sent
to the War Office and twelve copies to the Director of Military
Intelligence. On the 7th May, 1919, the Inter-Departmental
Conference on Middle Eastern Affairs, on whom had fallen the
mantle ot the old Eastern Committee, met to discuss the draft
Agreement telegraphed by Sir Percy Cox in his telegram No. 258
of the 10th April, which was circulated to all members ot the
Conference before the meeting. The War Office had been repre
sented at this meeting by Lieutenant-Colonel Gribbon. to whom, in
accordance with the usual procedure, a copy of the draft M nutes
had been sent for approval or amendment. This had been returned,
minuted “ No observations. W. H. Gribbon, Lieutenant-Colonel,
for the Director of Military Intelligence.”
He proposed to lay these tacts before the Cabinet, and to
register a strong protest against the passage in Sir Henry Wilson’s
memorandum to which reference had been made by Mr. Montagu.
Mesopotamia.
The Conference had before them 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. telegrams, ending
with telegram No. 6976 of the 9th June, from the Civil Com”
missioner, Baghdad; War Office telegrams, ending with telegram
No X 9092 of the 14th June, from the Geneial Officer Commandino-,
Mesopotamia, and telegiam No. 550 of the 8th June from Lord
Allen by to the Foreign Office. Also i.D.C.E. paper No. 5596,
containing the draft mandates for Mesopotamia and- Palestine.
1 he Chairman said that the Conference were confronted with
the very troublesome task of considering the Mesopotamian situation,
which appeared to be getting more complex. As the result of
•the 38th Meeting of the Conference on the 17th May, the Secretary
of State for India had despatched, on the 7th June, a series of
telegrams to the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, which he had
been kind enough to let him see before despatch. In these telegrams
the Civil Commissioner was informed of the terms of the ”draft
mandate and of tne provisional steps which His Majesty’s Govern
ment proposed to take during the period before the mandate could
receive the final approval of the League of Nations, or the Organic
Law could be prepared. They were imbued with the spirit
which had consistently inspired the policy of His Majesty’s
Government as formulated at successive meetings of the
Conference, and which was never more unmistakable than
now. Meanwhile, op the 2nd June, Sir Arnold Wilson had
made a statement to a deputation of Baghdad notables. He could
not find that any authority had been given for this statement
winch followed the lines of Colonel Wilson’s own proposals The