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Middle East Committee and Eastern Committee [19r] (37/42)
The record is made up of 1 file (21 folios). It was created in 18 Jan 1918-31 Dec 1918. 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.
1.
CONFIDENTIAL.
Dec. 21, 1918.
Dear Lord Curzon,
I am writing this letter to you on the subject of the machinery
of the Eastern Committee. Please do not tninit that anytning I
say in any way constitutes a criticism of the wording of the
Committee, because that is not in the least my iunction, and I
know well the enormous mass of work which it has had to do. Nev
ertheless, I feel bound at this moment when I presume the Covern-
ment is about to be reconstituted,to put certain considerations
before you which have been weighing with me for some time.
The fact is that the Eastern Committee is throwing an ever
greater strain upon my Office. If it is to continue in its P^® 3 ’
ent form -- a matter which I will discuss further on m "
te r i shall have to asK for a considerable addition of btaff,
and to enable me to go to l;he Treasury with this at a time when
retrenchment will probably be the order of the day, I shall wan
a very strong letter from you, (assuming that you remain ,the
Chairman of the Committee) in support.
The strain on the Office affects practically every branch.
First of all there is the question of Colonel Storr, the bec-
re^ary! He Aas worked indefatigably ever since tHe Committee w.as
started and I fear that the strain is really telling on him. I
believe * it is a fact that he has never had a Saturday afternoon
or Sunday to himself since the Committee started. He has ±oun ^
ohsclutelv necessary to be at the Office every Sunday, one of
Committee very often mseta
ici not only on the personal aspects that I wish re
far to' the Secretary. His incessant labours with the Eastern Com-
Ht"
S^th 3 ^ o^a;consi d erahle in
which 1 has^latterly^een^reatl^increased^y^ the ^withdrawal^of
redT b sraL°^r^no r Jaff 8 in Paris So^r^s^he^aste^
r^inh^it'wiinr^solutriy n;cessary to have a permanent As-
sistant Secretary to Colonel Storr.
About this item
- Content
This file relates to two War Cabinet committees: the Middle East Committee (originally named the Mesopotamian Administration Committee), and the Eastern Committee, both chaired by George Curzon.
The first half of the file consists almost entirely of printed minutes of meetings of the Middle East Committee, dated 19 January, 26 January, 2 February, and 18 February 1918 respectively (ff 2-9). The main topics of discussion in these minutes are British policy in Palestine and future British policy in Mesopotamia.
The second half of the file contains correspondence received by Curzon regarding the workings of the Eastern Committee, which inherited the responsibilities of the Middle East Committee (ff 10-21). The correspondents are as follows: Maurice Pascal Alers Hankey, War Cabinet; Edwin Samuel Montagu, Secretary of State for India; Robert Cecil, Foreign Office. The letters discuss the dissemination of the committee's minutes among military representatives, the frequency and attendees of committee meetings, and whether the committee should be severed from the War Cabinet and absorbed by the Foreign Office's recently created Middle East Department. One letter touches on Anglo-Persian relations.
Also included is a note by Curzon, dated 27 October 1918, regarding a memorandum from the advisory committee of the Foreign Office's Eastern Department (ff 17-18).
- Extent and format
- 1 file (21 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 final folio with 21; 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.
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- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Middle East Committee and Eastern Committee [19r] (37/42), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F112/273, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100071779101.0x000026> [accessed 11 June 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- Mss Eur F112/273
- Title
- Middle East Committee and Eastern Committee
- Pages
- 1r:21v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence