'Papers relating to transfer of Middle Eastern Affairs to the Colonial Office and creation of a new Department there, 1920-1921, with Cabinet notes of Milner, Montague, Churchill, self, and others' [‎47r] (93/136)

ft.
This Document Is the Property of
His Britannic iffiajesty i, 8 Government.
Circulated by the Secretary of State for India.
SECRET.
Percy Cox lias now answered our last telegram, and it is obvious
e proposal put forward by the Secretary of State for War is neither
sistent with our policy nor immediately practicable, in the opinion of
Sir Percy Cox and apparently of General Haldane. I have always feared
that this would be the case. Our only right in Mesopotamia is to form an
Arab Government in substitution for the Turkish Government we destroyed,
and this cannot be done from Basra. In fact, the only possible alternatives
in Mesopotamian policy are, to my mind, to do our job or to clear out.
It seems to me, therefore, that we ought now to take the decision that
a Middle East Department should at once be formed to take over the
administration, civil and military, of Palestine, Egypt and Mesopotamia, and
of our affairs in the Middle East generally, including the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , Aden,
and Arabia, if not Persia itself, and that this Middle East Department should
recruit its own forces for these territories either from native levies or from
India, if it cannot get native levies. It is my view that, although the
difficulties of obtaining large numbers of Indian troops remain great, one
could recruit Indians to a Middle East army. But I should hope that the
countries would find their own armies in a very short time.
The only obstacle to this policy is that the Government has not yet
decided upon which department should be the Middle East Department,
although it appears that they have definitely decided it must not be a new
department. It would appear that we have always shied off the decision as
to which department it should be as though it were a matter of extreme
difficulty. It really is not. It could only take an hour to decide at the very
most. It need only really take five minutes, by asking each Member of the
Cabinet their view and if necessary taking a majority vote. We are pledged
up to the hilt, and over the hilt, against the continuation of the existing
arrangement. It is two years since I urged that 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. was not the
right place from which the control of any part of the Middle East should be
attempted. A definite pledge was given to Sir Percy Cox before he went out
that a Middle East Department should be established. The present system
is unfair to 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. , unfair to India, and unfair to Mesopotamia.
For the sake of economy and for the sake of our reputation, I would ask that
this matter should be settled before we adjourn for the holidays, and I
believe that the best course would probably be to transfer Mesopotamia to the
Foreign Office which already is looking after Palestine, Egypt, Arabia and
Persia.
I had originally thought that the Colonial Office would be better;
but, on the advice of Sir Percy Cox, I am anxious to avoid taking any
steps which would look like the annexation to the British Empire of
mandated territory. Unless, therefore, my colleagues see any objection,
1 would propose to hand over my Mesopotamian department to the Foreign
Office as soon as may be.
E. S. M.
22nd December 1920.