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'Mosul Question, Lausanne 1922-1923 and after - Papers, despatches, speeches - Hotel de la Mer at Lausanne - Correspondence about oil' [‎225r] (448/501)
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'Mosul Question, Lausanne 1922-1923 and after - Papers, despatches, speeches - Hotel de la Mer at Lausanne - Correspondence about oil' [‎225r] (448/501)

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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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[448 c—1] B
|,This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty’s Government.]
V , No. 1 SECRETARY OF STATE. \
eastern.
[November 3.]
CONFIDENTIAL.
Section 1.
[E 10719/1019/65] No. 1.
Colonial Office to Foreign Office.—{Received November 3.)
Sir, Downing Street, November I, 1923.
I AM directed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to transmit to you for
the information of the Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, copy of a despatch from the
High Commissioner for Irak, on the subject of the delimitation of the Turco-Irak
frontier.
I am, &c.
J. E. MASTEETON-SMITH.
Enclosure in No. 1.
Sir H. Dobbs to the Duke of Devonshire.
(Secret.)
My Lord, Bagdad, October 18, 1923.
IN accordance with your Grace’s telegram, dated the 15th August, 1923,
I have the honour to submit to your Grace a comprehensive statment of the case ol the
Irak Government as against the claims put forward by the Turkish delegation at
Lausanne for the recession to Tiirkey of the territory embraced formerly in the A ilayet
of Mosul. In doing so I shall endeavour to examine the question under the following
heads :—
(A.)—The case of the Irak Government in respect of the Mosul Vilayet as a whole.
(B.)—Its position as regards Southern Kurdistan, i.e., that portion of the
Mosul Vilayet in which the majority of the population is not Arab.
(C.)—A detailed examination of the northern frontier line.
(A .)—Turkish Claims to Mosul Vilayet.
2 . The Turkish claim to the Mosul Vilayet was based on arguments which may be
summarised as follows :—
(a.) That the area came under the terms of the Nations Pact passed at Angora in
February 1920.
( 6 .) That British forces were not in occupation of Mosul at the date of the
armistice.
(c.) Bacial principles.
{d ) Political arguments. These included the alleged desire of the whole population
for inclusion in Turkey, together with a denial that British engagements
with the Irak or the assumption of the mandate by Great Britain have any
bearing on the issue and they terminated with the argument stated in (b).
{e.) Claims based on history.
(/.) Economic argument.
{g.) Strategic necessities.
The first two have obviously no bearing on any local considerations and were easily
disposed of by Lord Curzon in his masterly rejoinder. He pointed out in reply to (a)
that no resolution of the Angora Assembly could entitle it to dictate to the victors in
the war the manner in which they should dispose of an area from which the Turks had
been ejected by force of arms, or to come to a decision on behalf of a population which
was not represented in the Assembly, and in a scathing criticism of the Pact he proved
that its terms were not only self-contradictory, but also that they were inapplicable to
the Mosul Vilayet. Replying to (b) he showed that on the 30th October, when the
armistice was signed, British troops had already gained in the Mosul Vilayet a decisive
position which opened the road to Mosul. The Turkish commander, owing to his
remote position, did not receive the full terms of the armistice till the 4th November,

About this item

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.

Written in
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' [‎225r] (448/501), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F112/294, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100130546289.0x000031> [accessed 20 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