Papers of the Interdepartmental Conference on Middle Eastern Affairs [‎5r] (9/290)

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
Printed for the Foreign Office. January 1919.
SECRET.
I.D.C.E., 3rd Minutes.
FOREIGN OFFICE.
INTER-DEPARTMENTAL CONFERENCE ON MID OLE EASTERN AFFAIRS.
Minutes of Inter-Departmental Conference, held in the Secretary of State*s Room, at the
Foreign Office, on Tuesday, January 14, 1919, at 6 p,m.
Present:
The Right Hon. the Earl Curzon of Kedleston, K.G., G.C.S.L, G.C.I.E.
{in the Chair).
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. .
Lieutenant-General Sir H. V. Cox,
K C.B., K.C.M.G., C.S.I., Military
Secretary, 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. .
Maj or - General W. Tn wattes, C.B.,
Director of* Military Intelligence.
Sir Alfred Hamilton Grant, K.C.I.E.,
C.S. I., Foreign Secretary to the Govern
ment of* India.
Lieutenant-Colonel L. Storr, C.B. {Acting Secretary).
Mr. E. H. Jones.
Trans-Caspia : The
Withdrawal of
Malleson’s Mission.
on the danger of a railway strike and on the effects of our with
drawal upon our prestige in Central Asia. Malleson, in conclusion,
contended that it would be deplorable to withdraw military and
financial aid. In the latest telegram received. No. 430, the Indian
Government somewhat modified their view on learning of General
Milne’s proposed visit to Trans-Caspia. This, they considered, would
involve Malleson remaining where he was, at any rate, for another
month, and also some further temporary financial assistance to the
Askabad Government. They had accordingly authorised Malleson
to grant such assistance as was absolutely necessary ; and they
anticipated that he could do this by utilising the currency now in
his hands, or en route from Tehran, and the five lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf.
which had been sent to Meshed, as well as by the issue of further
1. The Chairman said that, when the question of the with
drawal of Mallesoti’s Mission had last been discussed, the late
Eastern Committee had decided that a telegram should be sent
giving certain military reasons for retaining that Force for the
present. Since then, several important telegrams on the subject
had passed between the Government of India, General Mallesou, and
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. . A Government of India telegram, No. 82,
forwarded a message from Malleson in which he analysed the
elements of population, argued the case of the Bolshevik front, and
pushed his own policy of going to the Oxus line in order to crush
Bolshevism, and to justify our incursion into Trans-Caspia. In
forwarding this message the Indian Government stated that
they themselves still adhered to the policy of withdrawal. In a
later telegram, No. 364, the Viceroy communicated Mmleson’s
latest views on the situation, in which the latter laid stress
[987]—81