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Middle East Committee and Eastern Committee [20r] (39/42)
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.
Members of the War Cabinet, to keep abreast with the affairs oi
the Eastern Committee than when relatively short Minutes ** re
available. Personally, I have found great difiiculty in fading
"the time to read the shorthand notes, though I believe I am as
industrious as anyone in reading War Cabinet documents.
All this brings me up to a great point of principle, namely,
as to whether thf time has not come to separate ^e Eastern Com
mittee in some form from the War Cabinet secretariat, and on this
point I should like' to remind you of some precedents. W|e War
Trade Department grew out of the old War Licences omm th ’
War Trade Intelligence Department, I thin*, grew out of the .rad-
inp- with the Enemy Committee; the Blockade Department out o±
Contraband Committee, the Ministry of National aervice out f th
Man-Power Committee; and two very important Committees, whicy
presided over, namely, the Air Com ““^the lir mnistry tnd the
Committee developed in due course into the Air Ivlinisrry a
Ministry of Shipping, respectively.
Personally, eo far as I have bad anythingto^do
ter, I have aimed at severing £ ® d d it all committees and
” “" r ” “• p ““*
It seems to me that this st as® j-f. ^^g^gtern’Committee.Under
already been reached, in the oa se of the eastern Colonel
your care this infant threatens | t th Eaa tern Committee
^tftrTc^feL I do not think the
claim well founded.
At any rate, from the point of thesestion,i do®
only one from which I a “ entitle^to^PP^ hag now for the
suggest most seriously ^ . micrht become an organisation of
severance. The Eastern Commit it might become a Be
lts ovm like the War Priorities Committee, it ^ affiliated
partment like the Minis ^ 0 inion W ould incline to its absorp-
to some Department. My ± Middle East Department of the For-
a much better judge than I.
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.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Middle East Committee and Eastern Committee [20r] (39/42), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F112/273, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100071779101.0x000028> [accessed 8 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