'Mosul Question, Lausanne 1922-1923 and after - Papers, despatches, speeches - Hotel de la Mer at Lausanne - Correspondence about oil' [‎17r] (33/501)

' [This Document is the Property of His-Britannic Majesty's Government.]
^IRKEY. [Decembers.]
CONFIDENTIAL. Section t .
[E 13599/13003/44] No. 1.
Memorandum by Sir W. Tyrrell—(Received at Foreign Office, December 3.)
AT the request of Ismet Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. I called upon his Excellency at 10 o’clock last
night at the Lausanne-Palace Hotel, and spent two hours in his company alone.
The first subject Ismet took up was the question of oil, bj 7 enquiring whether the
Turkish Government could look forward to a share in the Mosul supply. I replied
that nobody would be more anxious than the British Government to afford every kind
of economic assistance to the new Turkish State as soon as a satisfactory peace settle
ment had been concluded, but I repeated to him Lord Curzon’s warning of the day
before that he must not look upon any oil or financial contribution on our part as part
of a bargain in connection with the drawing up of the treatv. Our economic contribu
tion towards helping Turkey to rebuild herself after the war was a thing apart, and
should be treated apart.
The next point his Excellency took up was the rectification of the Mosul frontier.
Here again I reminded him of Lord Curzon’s statement to him that to the demand for
the restoration of the Mosul \ilayet he would be compelled to return an unqualified
negative, but that he was prepared to consider in a friendly spirit any rectification that
might be desirable owing to local considerations at Mosul. *
Ismet Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. then asked me what I should advise him to do in his position as chief
Turkish delegate with regard to the presentation of his case. I answered by suggesting
that the lurks should not confine themselves to a constant reiteration of their demand
to be considered as an independent State, master of its own destinies ; but that they
should rather concentrate their efforts on proving to us that they were qualified to
assume such a posibon. The best way of doing this would be to create internal
conditions of government and administration that would enable the European Govern
ments to persuade their own nationals that Turkey was entitled to be granted the claim
she made to absolute self-determination and self-management. The best way of doing
this was to give the necessary guarantees to Europe that would enable Europe to
renounce the special rights she possessed with regard to her nationals in Turkey. I
also urged his Excellency to come out openly in favour of the League of Nations* and
to utilise to the full the machinery which that body could pface at his disposal, both
with a view to obtain the guarantees which I thought Turkey was entitled to ask in the
regions it was proposed to demilitarise, as well as the League’s assistance for the settle
ment of such questions as, for instance, that of the protection of minorities. On this
point Ismet Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. at once interrupted me and said that Turkey could never admit anv
inspection of minorities, and that they bad quite made up their minds to get rid of the
Greek elements by an exchange of Greco-Turkish populations, but to retain the
Armenians. I expressed to him my regret to hear this decision, as I felt convinced
that by getting rid of the trading classes in his country he would fail to create a public
opinion in Europe which would enable the Allied Governments to persuade their
business men that Turkey was a country worth helping and saving; on the contrary,
the business men of Paris and London would say : “A country which behaves in so
stupid a fashion will not attract our money.” I also assured his Excellency that he
would fail in his endeavour to persuade England and French business men that the
Turk could, from one day to another, become a successful trader and take the place of
the Greek and Armenian, who had hitherto carried on his business for him. Under
this head 1 also reminded his Excellency that quite a number of countries who had
been created by the Treaty of Versailles had found it compatible with their
independence and sovereign rights to accept the minority cfause of the above treaty,
and 1 suggested to him that what Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Roumania and
Jugoslavia had been able to accept, would surely also be acceptable to Turkey.
As regards Capitulations, his Excellency assured me that his Government w 7 ould
be most uncompromising.
He enquired whether there would be any interference with Turkey’s military forces.
To this I replied that my impression w r as that as regards Europe, Turkey would be
expected to content herself with a strictly defensive contingent.
[197 c-l]

'Mosul Question, Lausanne 1922-1923 and after - Papers, despatches, speeches - Hotel de la Mer at Lausanne - Correspondence about oil' [‎17r] (33/501)

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'Mosul Question, Lausanne 1922-1923 and after - Papers, despatches, speeches - Hotel de la Mer at Lausanne - Correspondence about oil' [‎17r] (33/501)

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