Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [‎13v] (26/544)

2
British Decoration
to Emir Feisal.
Subsidy for the
Jdrisi.
Future of Meso
potamia.
property and looked to ns for compensation should his pro-British
policy entail the loss of his wealth.
It was decided—
That the Foreign Office should ask Sir C. Marling to define the
guarantees that he considered fitting and the contingencies
which they should be made to suit.
2. The Committee considered E.C.-167, a telegram of the
19th April from General Clayton asking for a decision on the
question of a British decoration for Emir Feisal.
Sir Mark Sykes observed that the honour should be an
important one, but that the emblem should not contain a cross.
It was decided —
To leave the selection of the decoration to the Foreign Office.
3. With reference to Minute 2 of the 3rd Meeting, telegrams
E.C.-168 and E.C.-T7fi> from Sir R. Wingate were read. It
appeared that the award of 10,000Z. a month, without compensation
for the past, as decided on by the Committee, was considered
insufficient by the local authorities.
After some discussion, it was decided—
That the award of 10,000/. a month as previously fixed should
be adhered to, but that a sum of 10,000/. should be granted
in addition as arrears, and that this decision should b3
telegraphed by the Foreign Office to Sir R. Wingate.
(Note .—Treasury agree.)
4. The Committee considered a memorandum by Sir Percy
Cox (E.C.-173) and a Minute on it by Sir Mark Sykes (E.C.-177).
Sir Percy Cox was present in person, and was congratulated by
the Chairman on the very notable success of his administration.
The thanks of the Committee were also expressed to him for
coming to put his experience at their disposal.
The Chairman began the discussion by an analysis of the
situation.
Our policy might have to be adapted to certain formulae, such as
that of “self-determination,” increasingly used as a watchword since
President Wilson’s entry into the war; there was also the Prime
Minister’s statement that the status of Mesopotamia among other
countries would be settled at the Peace Conference. This last,
however, was qualified by the assurance that it could never be
allowed to return to the “ blasting rule of the Turk.”
Two areas included under the term Mesopotamia must be dis
tinguished, i.e., (a) Basra town and the district immediately
surrounding it; (b) the Vilayets of Basra and Bagdad.
In respect to the first, Lord Hardinge, as Viceroy, had gone to
Basra after its capture, and, with the authority of the Government,
had given its inhabitants a pledge that they would not again be
subject to Turkish rule. Similar and even stronger assurances had
been given to the Sheikhs of Koweit and Mohammerah. Sir Percy
Cox had been given instructions, to guide his action, that Basra
would remain British, although these had not been actually
promulgated. The case of Basra, therefore, difiered from the case
of the rest of Iraq, where the population had not received explicit
pledges of the same nature.
In regard to the larger area we had to contemplate shaping our
policy to fit various possible results of the war: (a) complete victory