'Mosul Question, Lausanne 1922-1923 and after - Papers, despatches, speeches - Hotel de la Mer at Lausanne - Correspondence about oil' [‎219r] (436/501)

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty’s Government.]
\
TURKEY:
No. 1.—SECRETARY OF STATE.
[Septem
CONFIDENTIAL.
Section 3.
fE 10449/1019/65] No. 1. .. /
rl
Notes on the Mosul Frontier Question by Colonel F. R. Maunsell, O.M.G.* C.BMt-
(Communicated by War Office, September 22; Received m Foreign‘Office,
September 24.)
UNDER the Treaty of Lausanne the next question for consideration is that of
Mosul or rather the northern frontier of our Mesopotamian mandate. After the
Mudros armistice it was finally decided to accept as the provisional frontier the
boundary of the Mosul Vilayet as it existed in Turkish times, tor most of the line this
meant takina the boundary of the Vilayets of Van and Mosul as far as could be
determined from the maps then available. As a former consul at Van, i can,
perhaps, claim some knowledge of the situation as it was regarded in van before
the war^ Government> \\^ e other Oriental States, never seem to care to have
their frontiers laid down too definitely on accurate maps ; probably they like to have
some deviations they may manage to include in subsequent quarrels or negotiations.
Even the vilayet boundaries of the interior were in many cases not too clearly laid
down, but were generally recognised by the gendarmerie of vilayets, by local custom
following some well-marked geographical feature in man\ cases.
In the Kurdish vilayets the Turkish Government purposely drew the vilayet
boundaries to suit political considerations, to divide up some unruly Kurdish
tribal confederation so that it fell under two separate vilayet Governments, thus
frustrating possible combination and rendering the tribes easier to manage as a
Wh0l This was specially noticeable among the large Kurdish confederations on the
plateau north of Lake Van, Erzerum and Bitlis. Now, for reasons that will he shown
later, the boundary of the Vilayets of Van and Mosul remained the most indeterminate
of, perhaps, all the other Turkish provinces. , . . „ . , v
Other boundaries of the Van Vilayet, such as that with Erzerum on the north
and Bitlis on the west, were comparatively clearly defined by geographical features,
and because these districts round Lake Van were under fairly good administrative
control the boundaries were generally recognised It was otherwme with tbe
boundaries of the Mosul and Bitlis Vilayets south of the lake. The Turkisli Govern
ment published no map showing the official divrsions of their country, and the best
semi-official map was, and I believe still remains, Huber s Carte administrative de
1’Empire ottoman.” which gave the vilayets, sanjaks and nalnes with considerab e
accuracy in Eastern Turkey, and although the scale was very small, and the map
difficult sometimes to reconcile with the ground, yet a good general idea of the
administrative divisions was produced. . ^ n
There were also vilayet administrative maps in the various volumes of Cmnet s
“ Gazetteer,” but these were also of small scale, roughly drawn, and still more difficult
to re ^d production just before the war of the Turkish staff map of North-Eastern
Turkey in Asiaf the country remained officially unsurveyed but I found that the \ ahs
generally had manuscript maps of their vilayets on a small scale hanging up m len
offices marking roughlv the boundaries of their vilayets. _ I never obtained access to
that of the Van Vilayet, and those of the Sivas and Trebizond Vilayets, which I saw,
were very rough productions. i tj
The Turkish staff map of Eastern Turkey seemed to have been made for military
purposes, and 1 have never seen any vilayet boundaries marked on it. In the
discussion of the Mosul frontier question it is, however, quite possible that lhe Angora
Government will produce maps with frontiers and boundaries drawn to suit their
political claims, utilising their staff map as far as it applies ; and probably copies o my
1414 aa—31
These frequently altered in Eastern Turkey.

'Mosul Question, Lausanne 1922-1923 and after - Papers, despatches, speeches - Hotel de la Mer at Lausanne - Correspondence about oil' [‎219r] (436/501)

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'Mosul Question, Lausanne 1922-1923 and after - Papers, despatches, speeches - Hotel de la Mer at Lausanne - Correspondence about oil' [‎219r] (436/501)

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