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File 978/1917 Pt 1 'Mesopotamia: administration; occupation of Baghdad; the proclamation; Sir P Cox's position' [‎79r] (162/402)

The record is made up of 1 volume (195 folios). It was created in 6 May 1917-8 Oct 1919. 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

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&
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AMENDED COPY.
OPERATIONS.
77
I A
1 * *
ty25l/£
§ E C R E T a
Prom:- 0.0.0., Mesopotamia.
To:- C-in-C., India.
Repeated C.I.G t S.
No. X.2782
9th Julv 1917
, y which asked for my
State-s telegram dated 4f,h July address®!
t,o Cox, re Civil
July
development in
expressed in
last
1 7th
under-
is
in
With reference to India’s 45370
remarks on Secretary of
to Viceroy and repeated
Mesopotamia.
My views on subject generally are
sentence but two of paragraph 12 of Cox's T,1049 dated Apr!
to Foreign India and repeated to Secretary of State, and I
stood from Secretary of State's telegram dated May 10th to
Viceroy and repeated to Cox that those views were generally
approved by H.M. Government. We are by no means yet in full
possession.of Baghdad Vilayet and it is certain that unless
existing situation on all fronts alters very rapidly severe
and prolonged fighting will be necessary before we can
definitely claim Baghdad and Baghdad Vilayet as ours. There
still no evidence of determined Russian advance referred to
above quoted paragraph and from present indication it seems
possible that we shall be without effective co-operation from
Russians in this theatre till next Spring, at least; if not
longer whilst enemy is no doubt utilising these months of
intense heat to prepare for vigorous offensive during this
autumn and winter to recover Baghdad, owing to capture of which
German ambitions in East have been shattered and Turkish rule
in this region has ceased to exist. Although with military
assistance being sent and promised from England and India, I
have no anxiety as to result of forthcoming military operations
provided that my hands are not otherwise tied and we are not
swamped by numbers, I would ask that I should be given every
opportunity to concentrate my whole energies on this issue and
that development of Civil administration of Baghdad Vilayet,
except as regards such matters as clearly do not clash with
military necessity and which we are already taking in hand,
should wait until'we are securely established here onco for all
We are engaged in a vast war, the issues of which are vital
and it seems to me that if we attempt to combine general
development of country with defeat of enemy, we shall be
attempting too much and we shall fail. A commander in the
field has great responsibilities and he must devote every
moment available to task before him in order to ensure success.
If, then, civil considerations which may conflict
with militarv interests are urged upon him repeatedly, though
no doubt unintentionally, owing, perhaps, to military situation
not being viewed exactly in true perspective, and if he is not
free to resist them, his anxieties and his already heavy
duties
will

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Content

This volume contains correspondence, reports, telegrams and minutes regarding negotiations and administration, largely between 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. , Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Percy Cox, and the Government of India, after the occupation of Baghdad (Fall of Baghdad) on 10 March 1917. The negotiations concern the administrative organisation and political control of Mesopotamia, as well as the external and internal boundaries of Iraq (also spelled Irak in the volume).

Related matters of discussion include the following: the text of the Baghdad proclamation; the future administration of the territory by the Foreign Office instead of the Government of India; the regulation of the new territory; the responsibilities of the Chief Political Officer in the new territory; the Turco-Persian frontiers. The correspondence in the volume is internal correspondence between British officials. The principal correspondents are as follows: Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Percy Cox; Lieutenant-General Sir Stanley Maude; the War Office; the Secretary of State for India; the Political Department, 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. ; the Under-Secretary of State for India; the Viceroy of India; the Government of India’s Foreign and Political Department; the Foreign Office; the Government of India.

In addition to this correspondence, the volume contains reports of the War Cabinet's Mesopotamia Administration Committee, as well as the following documents: memoranda on external frontiers and internal boundaries of Iraq (ff 17-18) (ff 20-25); a map of Arabia and the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (f 28);

The file includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the front of the correspondence.

Extent and format
1 volume (195 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.

The subject 5320 (Mesopotamia Negotiations) consists of two volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/666-667. The volumes are divided into two parts, with each part comprising one volume.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 197; 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 3-195; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

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English in Latin script
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File 978/1917 Pt 1 'Mesopotamia: administration; occupation of Baghdad; the proclamation; Sir P Cox's position' [‎79r] (162/402), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/666, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100075826204.0x0000a3> [accessed 21 December 2024]

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