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File 4722/1918 Pt 1 'Mesopotamia: administration of policy and situation' [15r] (38/687)
The record is made up of 1 volume (326 folios). It was created in 23 Oct 1918-2 Nov 1919. It was written in English, French and Arabic. 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
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
1 %
Telegram—P.
Prom Secretary of State for India.
'I
To Political, Baghdad, repeated Viceroy.
Dated 28th and received November 30th, 1918.
-v
r*
jr
Most Secret.
Vonr telegrams, 9906 and 9926, November 16th a
correspondence. Intention of Anglo-French Declaration was primarily to
c ear up the existing situation in Syria which Arab suspicion of Prenclf in
tentions had created. It should be understood by all that the Peace Confer
ence will settle the ultimate status of all Arab provinces It is l-nVl rlnwn
meanwh! e m the Declaration that H.M.G. will afpIrt S*their policy assist
in the establishment of native government in the liberated area P and do not
them d We^sfre 0 1 ^ P ^ pul ? tio11 governments which are distasteful to
em. We desire to see the strongest and most settled government in Meso-
P r1 amia w ^ lcp 18 compatible with those two conditions, and to further this
end we are prepared to render all British assistance that is necessarv in
eluding an army of occupation. ‘ necessary, m-
It will doubtless be necessary to establish at first a very large measure
of supervision by the British and to retain the control of tbreign relations
o?!nVA^h / IS Vr^- Tllis is f ue t0 local and totte absence
ot any Arab of outstanding personality, and of any class which is capable of
undertaking the highest offices. We do not, however, contemplate Innexa-
of Prlw? 8 aS A Can be 1 seen a * J 11 ® moment, to make a formal Declaration
of Protectorate. An analogy might be made to the position of Egypt before
the war, exclude of the capitulation. This is materially in accordance with
the sense of Sir Percy Cox s memorandum of April 22nd.>
You should take as a guide for your administrative action and official
utterances the principles stated above, and it should be possible for you to
satisfy our friends that we do not intend to abandon them nor to interrupt
the excellent work which we have undertaken hitherto. In the meantime our
attention is being given to the question of the best form of Government to
set up We should gladly receive any assistance and advice which vou and
your advisers can render on this point. We are anxious in particular that
you should render us an authoritative statement of the views held bv the
points P0PU ^ atl ° n m Varb)US areas affected on the following specific
(1) Do they favour a single Arab state under British tutelage stretch
ing trom the Northern boundary of the Mosul Wilayat to the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
?
(2) ' In this event, do they consider that a titular Arab head should be
placed over this new State?
(3) In that case, whom would they prefer as head?
In our opinion it is of great importance to get a genuine expression of
local opinion on these points, and one of such a kind that could be announced
to the world as the unbiassed pronouncement of the population of
Mesopotamia.
Will you please take whatever steps are necessary, without delay. We
S as certain the opinion of Miss Bell and of any other officer
who is specially qualified to advise, and to render your joint opinions on the
matter.
You should not, meanwhile, permit communications to be addressed to
President Wilson direct.
About this item
- Content
The volume contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, telegrams and minutes regarding the administration of, and situation in, Mesopotamia [Iraq] following the Asia Minor Agreement of 1916, more commonly known as the Sykes-Picot Agreement, between the French and British governments, and the Anglo-French Declaration of November 1918. The volume also concerns the subject of self-determination in Persia [Iran].
The papers notably cover:
- Discussion of advance interpretations of the 1916 Agreement
- The Anglo-French Declaration of November 1918, which publicised their intentions and policy in the former Ottoman territories of Syria and Iraq
- Presentation of the 1918 Declaration to the President of the United States of America by the French Ambassador to the US, Jean Adrien Antoine Jules Jusserand
- Disagreement between the British and French visions of the future administration of Mesopotamia
- The situation in southern Kurdistan
- The 1919 Paris Peace Conference
- Apprehensions of the Baghdad Jewish community about the tenor of the Anglo-French Declaration, including a petition to the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, requesting to be made subjects of the British Crown
- Reaction to the Declaration from the across the Arab world
- Disagreement among the British over the form that Britain’s control in Mesopotamia should take
- The views of the principal sheikhs [shaikhs] of Mesopotamia on the 1918 Agreement
- Discussion among British officials of the benefits of control over Mesopotamia and the view of the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, Arnold Talbot Wilson, on the situation in Mesopotamia
- Discussion of the potential candidates for the head of the new state of Iraq
- Reports on consultations with political and religious leaders and inhabitants from across Iraq on the future Government of Iraq
- The views of Sir Percy Cox and Arnold Wilson on the situation in Mesopotamia
- The question of the future political status of Mesopotamia, including the views of British officers serving in Syria and the Hejaz
- Discussion of the question of Iraqi self-determination.
Notable documents in this volume include:
- Text by Sir Percy Cox regarding ‘The Future of Mesopotamia’ (ff 308-310 and ff 270-272)
- Extracts from The Times , 26 November 1819, including a series of articles under the title ‘The Arab Campaign’ (ff 230-232)
- The statutes for the independence of Iraq (ff 127-130)
- A memorandum by Major W H Young regarding the future of Mesopotamia (ff 99-112)
- Copies of ‘Self-determination in Iraq’ in Arabic (ff 75-97) and English (ff 57-73).
The principal correspondents are: 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. , Political Department; the Governor-General of India; the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad; the Military Governor and Political Officer, Baghdad; Government of India, Military Department, the French Ambassador to the United States; and the British Embassy, Paris.
The volume 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 back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (326 folios)
- Arrangement
The contents of the volume are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.
The subject 4722 (Mesopotamia) consists of ten volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/755-764. The volumes are divided into twelve parts, with parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12 comprising one volume each. Part 10 is missing. Part 7, entitled ‘Mesopotamia: Sir A. Wilson’s invitation to Syrian Baghdadis’, was transferred to File 5268/20 Parts 1 and 2 (see IOR/L/PS/10/913).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 334; 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. Multiple intermittent additional mixed foliation/pagination sequences are also present. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. The sequence contains two anomalies: f 181a and f 181b.
- Written in
- English, French and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/755
- Title
- File 4722/1918 Pt 1 'Mesopotamia: administration of policy and situation'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:i-v, 1r:127v, 128ar, 128r:175v, 176ar, 176r:181v, 181ar:181av, 181cr, 181br:181bv, 182r:182v, 186r:229v, 232v:325v, 327r:334v, ii-r:ii-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence