Papers of the Interdepartmental Conference on Middle Eastern Affairs [‎141v] (282/290)

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not be so until Turkey had at any rate given up all claim to
Mesopotamia by signing the Treaty.
His own view was that a new Department of State should be
created for the Middle East, but it was clear that, whatever decision
might be arrived at, it would be impossible for the control to be
handed over immediately after the Cabinet meeting.
He wished to record that he had not had an opportunity ot
expressing his views on the Palestine mnndate as finally drafted and
circulated to the Conference, and he announced his intention of
making certain suggestions on the articles which referred to Moslem
Holy Places.
Replying to a question by the Chairman he said that we were
certainly under an obligation to remain in Mesopotamia, but he could
not answer for the military situation. The proposal of the Secretary
of State for War and Air that the military control of Mesopotamia
should be entrusted to the Royal Air Force was difficult to reconcile
with the continual reports which were being received of the difficulty
of keeping aircraft serviceable in a tropical climate.
The Chairman feared that the Cabinet would not agree to the
formation of a Middle Eastern Ministry, which was an “ ideal ”
solution, but not, he thought, practicable. He had understood that
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. were longing to hand over Mesopotamia to someone.
They had on many occasions appealed to the Foreign Office to relieve
them of their responsibility there. The public, excited by a press
campaign, the origin of which was believed to be known; were crying
for an end to be put to what they were pleased to call a policy of
muddle. He thought that the state of confusion was very much
exaggerated, but at the same time it was clearly desirable that
some permanent arrangement should be made as soon as possible.
Replying to Sir A. Hirtzel, he said that the draft mandate for
Mesopotamia was to be shown by Mr. Yansittart to the French in
Paris. He did not fear the delay anticipated by Mr. Montagu.
The League of Nations were anxious to identify themselves with
the new regime in those parts of the Turkish dominions wdiich were
to be severed from the Ottoman Empire, and would not necessarily
await the signature of the treaty. As a matter of fact it appeared
likely that the treaty would never be signed, but that need not
prevent the Allied Powers from acting in certain cases as though it
had been.
(Initialled) C. of K.
Foreign Office,
June 17, 1920.