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'Mosul Question, Lausanne 1922-1923 and after - Papers, despatches, speeches - Hotel de la Mer at Lausanne - Correspondence about oil' [‎199r] (395/501)
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'Mosul Question, Lausanne 1922-1923 and after - Papers, despatches, speeches - Hotel de la Mer at Lausanne - Correspondence about oil' [‎199r] (395/501)

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'Mosul Question, Lausanne 1922-1923 and after - Papers, despatches, speeches - Hotel de la Mer at Lausanne - Correspondence about oil'
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Ref: Mss Eur F112/294

The record is made up of 251 folios (1 file). It was created in 15 Nov 1922-3 Nov 1923. 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. .

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3
been compiled before the war, several years ago; and it is also notorious that the
Turkish figures were compiled only for the purpose of obtaining a list for military
service or exemption, mid thousands of people failed to appear in the list, because by
some means or other they avoided the obligation. Therefore, with all respect, he
must allow me to refuse to accept- his figures. What are ti e figures to which I shall
refer ? They are the figures which were compiled only the year before last with the
utmost care by British officers visiting every part of the vilayet, and making the most
careful record of the facts in each locality and eacli town or village. Ismet Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
said, what can you know about the figures in Sulimanyieh and in Southern Kurdistan ?
We ought to know a great deal more than he does, for there have been British political
officers in Sulimanyieh continuously since October or November 1917 until they were
temporarily withdrawn during a few weeks last year as the result of Turkish military
activity in R-owanduz. There is a British military officer there now. What means
have the Turkish delegation had of obtaining figures in the district in that period?
There is not a Turk in the district of Sulimanyieh now, and there has not been for
years. Therefore, when I come to the figures I am about to give, 1 hope the conference
will be assured that they are figures resting upon a scientific basis.
“ I will now come to the actual figures at this moment of the populations of the
Mosul Vilayet, which are as follows :—
“Arabs ... ... ... ... ••• 186,000
“ Kurds
“ Turks
“ Christians
“ Jews...
455,000
(56,000
62,000
17,000
am
id I will ask permission to say a few words about each of these populations who
are claimed now by the Turkish delegation. First, let me take the Arabs. 1 he
figures I have given, and which amount to a total population of between 750,000 and
800.000 for the entire Mosul Vilayet, show that the Arabs are about one-quarter of
the whole. In the town of Mosul, which has a population of from 80,000^ to 90,000,
between 50,000 and 60,000 are Arabs. The whole of the country north of Mosul, on
the rio-ht bank of the Tigris to the northern boundary of the vilayet, is inhabited by
Arabs. The whole of the country south of Mosul, on the right bank of the river, is
inhabited bv Arabs. Most of the country south of Mosul, on the left bank of the
river up to the Erbil-Kirkuk-Kifri road, is inhabited by Arabs. On what conceivable
ground ought these Arabs to be handed back to Turkey ? I have already pointed out
that they 1 voted in 1919 for remaining in a single area of Mespotamia or Irak In
1921 they voted for Feisal as their King. Why should we hand them back to
Turkey? Why should Mosul city be handed back to the Turks ? It is an Arab town
built by Arabs. During centuries of Turkish occupation it has never lost its Arab
character. 1 am unable to understand any principle of logic or equity by which it
can be contended that this Arab country should be handed oyer to Angora.
“ Now I will turn to the Turkish population upon winch it is natural that Ismet
Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. should base his case. The Turkish population are only one-twelfth of the
entire population of the vilayet. They are mainly situated m the towns of Lrbil,
Altunkeupreui, Kirkuk and Kifri. fhey are not Osmanli lurks at all. I hey are
descendants of a Turanian invasion from Central Asia which came to this country long
before either the Seliuk or the Ottoman invasions took place. They speak a lurkish
dialect of their own. It is not the dialect of Angora ; it is not the dialect of
Constantinople. There exist also a certain number of the families of the lurkish
officers and officials who had been employed by the lurkish Government m that
neighbourhood. The whole of this people, except in the Kirkuk area voted or
inclusion in the Kingdom of Irak and for the Emir Feisal as its King. Let us suppose
that they are well disposed to the Angora Government and that they would now like
t 0 p-o back Is it to be seriously contended that the fate of the whole of this great
vilayet is to be decided by the will of one-twelfth of the population of uncertain origin
and of doubtful sympathies ?
“ 1 will next take the case of the Kurds, of whom 1 remarked that there are
455 000 out of a total population of between 750,000 and 800,000. It was reserved lor
the’Turkish delegation in one of their papers to discover for the first time m histoiy
that the Kurds were Turks. Nobody has ever found it out before. 1 he origin of this
paople is somewhat obscure. Ismet Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , in one of his notes, quoted a sing e
authority which was of opinion that they were of Turanian origin, but that is
opinion that is shared by the best authorities, or indeed, so far as I know, by anybody

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Content

Letters and papers on the frontier between Iraq (also written as Irak in the file) and Turkey, with particular reference to Mosul and questions concerning oil. The file consists mainly of correspondence between Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs George Curzon, and officials in the Foreign Office, Air Ministry, Colonial Office and Ismet Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. [Mustafa İsmet İnönü]. The contents of the file are as follows:

Following documents are undated:

  • Lord Balfour to League of Nations. Speech: The frontier between Turkish territory and the territory of Iraq
  • The President of the League of Nations. Reply: after Speech by Balfour
  • Typewritten report: The question of Mosul
  • Typewritten report: The Question of Mosul

The file also includes handwritten notes by Curzon on the Mosul vilayet and groups residing there.

Extent and format
251 folios (1 file)
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 front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 251; 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
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'Mosul Question, Lausanne 1922-1923 and after - Papers, despatches, speeches - Hotel de la Mer at Lausanne - Correspondence about oil' [‎199r] (395/501), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F112/294, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100130546287.0x0000c4> [accessed 14 June 2026]

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Reference
Mss Eur F112/294
Title
'Mosul Question, Lausanne 1922-1923 and after - Papers, despatches, speeches - Hotel de la Mer at Lausanne - Correspondence about oil'
Pages
1r:28v, 28ar:28av, 29r:72v, 91r:167v, 170r:218r, 218r:251v
Author
East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
Usage terms
Open Government Licence