'Expenditure on Malleson Mission and troops in East Persia, 1918 to 1921' [‎1r] (1/34)

SECRET.
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Expenditure on Malleson Mission and Troops in East Persia,
1918 to 1921.
NOTE.—This collection of papers starts with (1) an 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 Memorandum, dated 23rd April 1918, which summarises the history of
the inception of the Malleson Mission, and (2) a memorandum by the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, dated 11th November 1919, which (besides making certain proposals at
its close) summarises the controversy up to that date regarding incidence of
expenditure.
The correspondence regarding expenditure which follows the Chancellor s
memorandum is given up to date.
There are two appendices. Appendix I. gives correspondence regarding
expenditure which precedes the Chancellor’s memorandum and is summarised in it.
Appendix II. gives the main military or political telegrams which are referred, to
in memoranda (1) and (2) or in the later correspondence regarding expenditure.
(N.B.—This collection of papers is printed from 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. files only.)
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. ,
January 1921.
1.—Note by Political Department, 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. , for Eastern Committee.
The Turkestan Mission.
1. The project of sending a British Mission to Turkestan appears to have
originated in an informal suggestion made to the War Office by Sir Arthur Hirtzel
in December 1917. The first official document on the subject is a telegram from the
Secretary of State to the Government of India, Army Department, dated the
4th January 1918, to the following effect:—
“ Do you think it practicable to set up British organisation in Turkestan like
Dunsterville’s ;in Caucasus, to support anti-Maximalist movement, and have you
suitable officers ? War Office would be glad if anything of the kind could be
done, but have not sufficient information to form opinion.” 4
2. The Government of India (Army Department) replied on the Sth January
1918. They drew attention to the absence of any Government in Turkestan “to
which a Mission would be helpful as well as useful to us ” ; and to the impossibility,
owing to difficulty of communications, of affording effective military support to such a
Mission in case of need. On the information at their disposal, they did not regard
the proposal as a practical one, but considered' that “ it would be advisable to make
“ all preparations in regard to personnel, &c., so that, in case a demand, should arise,
“ we should be able to proceed without delay.” They added that, before any such Mission
actually started, it would be for consideration whether the Amir of Afghanistan
should not be taken into our confidence.
3. After consultation with the War Office and Foreign Office, the Secretary of
State telegraphed as follows to the Government of India on the 25th January 1918 :—
“ War Office consider that, in view of proposed intimate connection between
Turkestan and Caucasus, 1 preparation and despatch of suitable Mission to former
should be undertaken without delay. Absence of regular Government regarded
as argument for, rather than against, Mission, and effective military support not
considered essential provided officers chosen are men of initiative and enterprise
and are plentifully supplied with funds. Officers should be accompanied, if
possible, by persons qualified to conduct Muhammadan propaganda in favour of
Allies, and every endeavour should be made to exploit anti-Bolshevist and pro-
autonomous sentiments.”
1 The British Consul-General at Meshed telegraphed to the Foreign Office on the 6th January that a
meeting of Muhammadans and non-Maximalists, held at Khokand in the preceding month, had decided to
declare the autonomy of Turkestan and to take steps to create a provisional administration. It was
j)roposed to enter into intimate relations with the Cossacks and the Caucasus, with a view to concerted
action.
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