Reports and papers of the Egyptian Administration Committee [‎12r] (23/108)

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to take responsibility before the House of Commons, and to defend
actions concerning the circumstances of which we had no knowledge.
The whole position was irregular, and was the result of a system
which had worked well in the days of Lord Cromer, when Egypt
was nominally a Turkish province and we were merely advisers,
but which could not possibly survive under the altered conditions
of a British Protectorate and the growth of the demand for
democratic control.
Sir Ronald Graham in his minute admitted that there must be
large changes in the Egyptian Government as soon as martial law
came to an end. Lord Robert Cecil pointed out that complicated
legal matters were at this moment under consideration. In view of
the fact that Egypt was becoming more and more the centre through
which not merely Egypt, but the whole of Arabia and possibly
Palestine and Mesopotamia would be managed, he regarded the
matter as important and urgent, and suggested that a Committee
should be established forthwith to investigate the whole question.
He had thought that the question might be referred to the existing
Middle-Eastern Committee, but was of opinion now that this
Committee was far too big to Heal satisfactorily with the matter.
Lord Curzon pointed out that the development of affairs in the
Near and Middle East pointed to the possibility that an entirely
new Department of State might become necessary. This Depart
ment could not be entirely separate from the Foreign Office, as many
diplomatic questions gravitated round Egypt; for instance, the new
independent Kingdom of Hedjaz. Lord Edward Cecil’s paper
raised the whole question of what we were accustomed to call the
Middle East question, and how it was to be dealt with. A new
grouping of countries was involved, with the attendant alteration of
conditions, and the resulting problem could not be regarded as
merely administrative.
Lord Milner stated that, from his own personal knowledge of
Egypt, it was impossible to continue the existing system. He
understood that great changes were going on in the Egyptian
Government to-day of which he had no knowledge, and the
establishment of our Protectorate made the reconsideration of the
whole problem urgent. What was required was that what was
going on inside Egypt should be known here, and to some extent
controlled.
Mr. Barnes added that, from the Labour point of view, it was
most desirable that he should be in a position to communicate to
the more responsible Labour Leaders the British policy in the Near
and Middle East, as up to the present the manifesto of the
Independent Labour Party, which was demonstrably unsound, held
the held.
The W r ar Cabinet decided that—
A Committee, composed as follows: —
Mr. Balfour (Chairman),
Lord Curzon,
Lord Milner,
should be set up forthwith to examine all the points raised
in Lord Edward Cecil’s Memorandum, and report to the
War Cabinet.
Lord Curzon, the Chairman of the Middle-Eastern Committee,
undertook to provide a statement of the work of the
Committee, including a general statement of British and
Entente policy in the Middle East for the information of
Mr. Barnes.