Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [‎56r] (111/544)

; [This Document is
Lord Cu
the Property^of His Britannic Majesty’s Goremment, ]
rzon.
Printed for the War Cabinet. July 19IS.
SECRET.
E.C. 17th Minutes.
4
WAR CABINET.
EASTERN COMMITTEE.
Minutes of a Meeting of the Eastern Committee held in Lord Curzon's Room at the
Privy Council Ojjice on Monday, July I, 1918, at 5 p.m
Present:
The Right Hon. the Earl Curzon of Kedlkston. K.G., G.C.S.L, G.C.I.E.
(in the
The Right Hon. Lord Robert Cecil, K.C.,
M.P., Minister of Blockade (representing
the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs).
The Right Hon. the Lord Hardinge of
Penshukst, K.G., P.C., G.C.B., G.C.S.I.,
G.C.M.G. [Knight] Grand Cross of [the Order of] St Michael and St George (accolade). , G.C.I.E., G.C.V.O., I.S.O.,
Permanent Under-Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs.
Mr. L. Oliphant, C.M.G., Foreign Office.
Sir Mark Sykes, Bt., M.P., Foreign
Office.
Lieutenant-Colonel
Lieutenant-General the Right Hon. J. C.
Shuts, K.C.
The Right Hon. E. S. Montagu, M.P.,
Secretary of State for India.
Mr. J. E. Shuckburgh, C.B., 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. .
Major-General P. P. de B. Radcliffe,
C.B., D.S.O., Director of Military
Operations (representing the Chief of
the Imperial General Staff).
I Lieutenant - Colonel W. H. Gribbon
(representing the Director of Military
I Intelligence;.
L. Storr, Secretary.
The Koweit
Blockade.
1. The Chairman said that the situation as regards the Koweit
blockade had been summarised in a Paper (E.C.-512) by the War
Office, which indicated the position as it stood on the 19th ultimo.
On the 25th June, our Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Bagdad (E.C.-638) had
suggested that unless the offer of the Sheikh was to be accepted,
the only alternative, as a real solution of the Koweit question, was
an armed occupation. He understood that on the 28th ultimo a
telegram, which had not yet been circulated to the Committee, had
been sent to the Viceroy from 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. , to the effect that it
was understood that the alternatives propounded by the Political
Agent at Koweit were (1) the despatch of troops to form an
effective land cordon round Koweit, (2) the acceptance of
the Sheikh's overtures, as reported in Bagdad telegram No. 4742
of the 4th June. This telegram further stated that His
Majesty’s Government were prepared to authorise (1) and the
G.O.C., Mesopotamia, was willing to spare the necessary troops,
but the military advisers of the Viceroy desired to postpone
action pending consultation with Sir P. Cox. The telegram enquired
whether there was any objection to immediate action on the lines
of (2), which need not, apparently, prejudice the subsequent despatch
of troops if the leakage of supplies continued despite the Sheikh’s
undertakings. The Chairman thought that this telegram succinctly
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