Skip to item: of 530
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

File 3579/1916 'Turkey: the future of Constantinople' [‎45r] (98/530)

This item is part of

The record is made up of 1 volume (259 folios). It was created in 5 Sep 1916-27 Mar 1919. It was written in English and French. 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.

Apply page layout

perfectly free hand with our Allies to discuss the fate of
Constantinople and to make such dispositions as the congress of
Europe may decide upon.
MR. MONTAGU: There is another quotation from the Prime Minister's
speech. Will you gire us that ? It is quoted in Sir Eyre Crowe’s
paper. M We are not fighting to depri to Turkey of its capital.”
THE CHAIRMAN: I think that it is the same speech that I was
referring to. *
There- sc-wms to he presented to us, accordingly, if the powers
decide to take it, ene of the great opportunities that ha Ye arisen^
in the history of the world. Assuming what I have said about tho
perniaio’US influence which has he-.n exercised by the Turkish presence
in Constantinople to be true, here at last is an occasion when it
might be possible. -- I do not argue for the moment whether it is
desirable -- to cut out this canker vhich really has poisoned the
life of Europe. I exptet that if we could look to the opinion of
the civilised countries through the world they would be bitterly
we
disappointed if, for reasons of political expediency or other wise,
the opportunity was not taken at any rate to consider most seriously
the question of getting rid of this running sore for ever.
What ar< tiu solutions which are possible , vhich are open to us
to consider ? Upon certain points, I gather from the papers and ^
I
indeed from the discussions in the Press, everybody is agreed.
Whether you keep the Turk there or whether you turn him out, there,
must bo some kind of international guarantee for the future system
that is to be set up at Constantinople and the surrounding territory
Secondly the wattrvayc -- and by that, of course, I mean the
pardan-llv o, the Marmora and the Bosphorus, must be absolutely
free both for the merchant shipping and for the ships of •'nr of all
the povvrs cf all the world. Thirdly, the forte by vhich those
narrow passages are defended must cither bs disarmed or razed to this
ground. I believf those to be initial propositions upon which every
body is agreed*
Then we come to the- much more difficult question, to whom is the
governin'; nt or the control of .this area to‘b* gi'-en ? I am assuming
for the moment -- I shall haw to revert to this later -- that tho
Turkish Government disappears from the scene and that some other

About this item

Content

The volume contains papers regarding the future of Constantinople [Instanbul]. It includes: 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. minute papers; copies of correspondence between the Foreign Office and Sir George Buchanan, HM Ambassador at Petrograd [St Petersburg], and other British diplomats; draft telegrams from the Secretary of State for India addressed to the Viceroy of India; correspondence between 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. and the Foreign Office; and other papers. Some of the correspondence is in French.

Issues discussed in the papers include: whether the Constantinople Agreement, concluded between the British, French and Russian governments in March 1915 (under the terms of which Constantinople and the Straits of the Dardanelles would be annexed to the Russian Empire), should be made public; the possible effect upon Muslims in India of the announcement of the agreement; and the question of the re-conversion of the St Sophia [Hagia Sophia] mosque in Constantinople into a Christian church.

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 (259 folios)
Arrangement

The subject 3579 (Turkey: the future of Constantinople) consists of one volume, IOR/L/PS/10/623.

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 259; 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. The front and back covers, along with the two leading and two ending flyleaves have not been foliated.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
View the complete information for this record

Use and share this item

Share this item
Cite this item in your research

File 3579/1916 'Turkey: the future of Constantinople' [‎45r] (98/530), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/623, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100045683260.0x000063> [accessed 29 March 2024]

Link to this item
Embed this item

Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.

<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100045683260.0x000063">File 3579/1916 'Turkey: the future of Constantinople' [&lrm;45r] (98/530)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100045683260.0x000063">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000419.0x000206/IOR_L_PS_10_623_0098.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000419.0x000206/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image