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Papers of the Mesopotamian Administration (later Middle East) Committee [37r] (75/80)
The record is made up of 1 file (39 folios). It was created in 19 Mar 1917-12 Jan 1918. 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.
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PHuP^i.TY OF HIS B.vITAI-^IC Jl;STY» S GQ^vI^ITT )
3 T C H E T.
11th liinutcs. \7AH CABIIIST .
(Pinal).
I-IDBLi: EAST COMIITTSE.
The ricvcnth heeting of the fiddle East Committee
was hold in the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs’
Room at the Foreign Office on Saturday*-, January 12th,
1918, at 11.30.a.m.
PxCSENT:-
The Right Hon. The Earl Curzon of Kedleston,
h.G., G.C ,S.I,, G,CyjI.E # (in the Chair).
The Rt. lion.Lord Robert Cecil,
K.C.,I^F.
Qcncral Sir G.U.W.
ha<fdonogh, K.C.L.G., C.P.
Lr. J.E. Shuc kbur gh,
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.
.
The Rt. Eon. The Lord Hardingc,
of 1 en s hurst, R.G.,G.C.I.,
G.C.S.I., G.C.k.G., G.C.I.E.,
G.C.V.O.,I,S.C.
The Rt. lion. Lord Islington,
G.C.i-.G., D.S.O.
Col. Sir Lark Sykes (Secretary).
Cant, 7;. Orm shy-Gore, L.P., (Acting Assistant
Secretary') .
Functions
of the
Committee.
1. LORD CURZON stated tlaat there seemed to be some
uncertainty regarding the exact position and functions of
the Committee. It sprung out of the Lcsopotonion Adminis
tration Committee, which had been constituted by the War
Cabinet to deal exclusively wi + b Mesopotamia after the
taking of £a,ghaacu The objects of tiio 0 omit too at ihat
time were to secure co-ordination between the various
authorities concerned with the administration of Lcsopotamia
and to construct a new regime in that country. Other
questions, however, had been referred to the Committee such
as those affecting Aden, the Hejoz, and the interior of
Arabia. Accordingly with the concurrence of the Secretary
of State for Foreign Affairs the War Cabinet expanded the
functions of the Committee which was thenceforth known as
the I iddle East Committee. He had latterly found that
a number of questions which had been raised and could advan
tageously have been discussed by the Committee had been
dealt with Dcpartmcntally. Ke hoped that in future the
position oi the Committee would be placed on a more regular
footing and that meetings would be hold more frequently and
the preparation of papers and agenda more effectively carried
out.
LORD ROBERT CECIL agreed with Lord Curzon and suggested
that the Committee should meet regularly once a week on
Saturday mornings at a iixed time and added that he had
arranged with the concurrence of Lord Hardingc that Sir
- ; ark Sykes should come over to the Foreign Office as Head of
a Department working directly under Lord Kardingc.
About this item
- Content
This file mostly consists of minutes of meetings of the War Cabinet's Mesopotamian Administration Committee (later renamed the Middle East Committee), chaired by George Curzon.
The papers are chiefly concerned with current and future British policy in Mesopotamia, which during the period covered was under British military occupation. However, the minutes also discuss matters relating to the wider Middle Eastern region, as reflected in the change of name to Middle East Committee in August 1917.
In addition to minutes, the file includes the following: a draft report by the committee, dated March 1917, containing recommendations regarding future British policy in Mesopotamia and the wider region (ff 1-2); a letter to George Curzon from Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Sykes, dated 2 July 1917, recommending that the committee be renamed, in order to define its scope and work (ff 24-25).
- Extent and format
- 1 file (39 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 39; 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.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Papers of the Mesopotamian Administration (later Middle East) Committee [37r] (75/80), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F112/272, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100070535784.0x00004c> [accessed 16 July 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- Mss Eur F112/272
- Title
- Papers of the Mesopotamian Administration (later Middle East) Committee
- Pages
- 1r:22v, 23ar:23av, 23r:39v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence