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Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [177v] (354/544)
The record is made up of 1 file (272 folios). It was created in 13 Mar 1918-7 Jan 1919. It was written in English. 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.
20
MR. MONTAGU : Would that not be an inducement to the most commercially
minded nation in the world ?
LORD ROBERT CECIL : There is, no doubt, tremendous mineral wealth in
Georgia, according to the maps I have seen.
GENERAL SMUTS : My feeling is this, speaking from the point of view of the
whole question generally, what is the policy we ought to pursue ? ft is difficult
to settle all these questions here and now by clear-cut decisions. The general question
of policy troubles me ; what line are we to pursue at tl»e Peace Conference ? Our line
of policy should he, if possible, to work with America. The Sykes-Picot Agreement is
unfortunately a millstone round our necks, and we must try and get out of it. In the
second place, with Germany practically wiped off for a generation, we must deal with
France. France is a great military Power. We know the character of french policy
in the past, and what it may be in the coming generation again. France may be our
great problem, and therefore it seems to me that \te must try and make friends with *
America. That is the line of policy for us to pursue. Can you do thut ? America has
no selfish objects at this juncture; America is notout for anything except for the larger
issue of world settlement, depending upon the League of Nations. It seems to me that
if we meet America at that point, upon the League of Nations, we should probably carry
America with us in arguments that we could not possibly use with the french.
America could put her foot down and make it impossible for the French to take a certain
line of action at the Conference; we should back America, and in the eml we probably
could move out of the impossible position into which we have got. Applying that general
argument to the problem before us, I would say this. We have the problem of two
Empires that have disappeared, Russia and Turkey. Austria, we are not concerned
with. We are concerned with the remains of two Empires that have disappeared.
You do not want to divide the loot; that would be a wrong policy for the future. You
must make some arrangement which will conserve the peace of the world in the future,
and give some form of decent government fur these countries. It seems to me the
League of Nations, or the organisation that we call the League of Nations, the Council
of the League of Nations, should become the titular reversionary for these Empires. IT
there is to be any title in the future, any supreme authority, any supreme control in
the future in respect of these countries that have fallen off from Russia and lurkey,^
it should be the League of Nations, and they should combine the principles of
autonomy and self-determination.
LORD ROBERT CECIL: You mean a League of Nations acting through some
mandatory ? .
GENERAL SMUTS : Yes, it would be in the background, with its Council
meeting from time to time, settling general questions of policy, and seeing the peace is
kept.
LORD CURZON : You would not apply that to Mesopotamia, which we were
discussing the other day ?
GENERAL SMUTS : Even that might be done. Then the thing would work out
like this. The League of Nations, for the larger purpose, would step into the shoes of
the old Turkish and Russian Empires. These peoples, so fir as they are of nny vitality,
would become little autonomous States. That would apply to Daghestan, to (Georgia,
and to Azerbaijan too. I am not sure, but I will assume that. It would not apply to
Armenia, but it would apply to the others. They would become autonomous States,
and nominally at the disposal of the League of Nations for the larger purpose. Inter
national control, we all assume, is impossible. That has never worked and never will.
It simply leads to the greatest contusion and friction, and it becomes a source of danger,
because it sets the great nations quarrelling with each other. Therefore, it seems to
me, that sbme particular Power beLnging to the League of Nations should be indicated i
as the tutelary Power, the guardian Power, in respect of one or other of these States.
The result would be, supposing America were to undertake this job, America would
keep a large general control over Georgia, but not in her own righi, she would do it
under a general act of mandate which would be settled by the Council of the League
of Nations, and revised from time to time, and shaped in such a way that the
general supervision which America exercises over Georgia would b^ in the general
interest not only of Georgia, but of the world as a wffiole. Tne question is,
how is that tutelary Power to be indicated? In certain cases it should
undoubtedly be left to the autonomous States. It could be left to Georgia to answer
About this item
- Content
This file is composed of papers produced by the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee, which was chaired by George Curzon for most of its existence. The file contains a complete set of printed minutes, beginning with the committee's first meeting on 28 March 1918, and concluding with its final meeting on 7 January 1919 (ff 6-214 and ff 227-272).
The file begins with two copies of a memorandum by Curzon, dated 13 March 1918, proposing the formation of the Eastern Committee. This is followed by a memorandum by Arthur James Balfour, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, approving Curzon's proposal, and a copy of a procedure for the newly created committee, outlining arrangements for committee meetings and the dissemination of information to committee members.
Also included is a set of resolutions, passed by the committee in December 1918, in order to guide British representatives at the Paris Peace conference (ff 216-225). The resolutions cover the following: the Caucasus and Armenia; Syria; Palestine; Hejaz and Arabia; Mesopotamia, Mosul, Baghdad and Basra. They are preceded by a handwritten note written by Curzon 'some years later', which remarks on how they are a 'rather remarkable forecast of the bulk of the results since obtained.'
- Extent and format
- 1 file (272 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 272; 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.
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- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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- Reference
- Mss Eur F112/274
- Title
- Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee
- Pages
- 1r:214v, 216r:272v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence