'PAPERS RELATING TO THE MESOPOTAMIAN COMMISSION from SIR E. BARROW'S ROOM' [‎402r] (813/1386)

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Statement by the 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. .
I am the Senior General in the Indian Army, and I have nearly 45 years’
service, of which over 15 years as a General Officer. I have raised and
commanded a regiment, and have at different times, either in peace or war,
held the several staff appointments of Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-
General ; Assistant Quartermaster-General; Assistant Adjutant-General ;
Deputy Adjutant-General; Assistant Secretary, Military Department, Govern
ment "of India; Deputy Secretary, Military Department, Government of
India ; Ch ef of the Staff, China Expedition ; Secretary, Military Department,
Government of India. I have also commanded :—
The Kohat Kurram Force - - 4 months.
The 1st Peshawar Division - - - 4 years.
The Southern Army, India - - 4 years.
My last appointment in India was that of General Office^' Commanding
the Southern Army, which appointment I vacated on the 10th Ogtpber 1012.
Since the 7th February 1914 I have been Military Secretary at The India
Office and have been in entire charge of the secretarial business in the India
Office connected with the Mesopotamian campaign, with the exception of
such matters as are dealt with by the Political Department or the Director
of Stores.
It has been my duty quite lately to prepare a precis of correspondence
regarding this campaign for the use of the Secretary of State and the
members of the Cabinet. I am therefore, I believe, fairly conversant with
all matters in this connection up to the 16th February, when the War Office
took over charge of the operations.
2. I am authorised to submit copies of the above-mentioned precis to the
Commission, who may, if they so desire, treat it as my evidence to be supple
mented by any questions which they may wish to ask me, or by any further
papers for which they may call. The collection of papers dealing with the
operations, originally intended for presentation to Parliament as a Blue Book,
but withheld on the advice of the Army Council, will also be laid before the
Commission, and contains the full series of documents referred to in the
precis. The documents themselves can be produced at any time to the
Commission if so desired. 1 produce the letter from the Army Council
above referred to. 1
1 121/3/107 (C. 1). Confidential. War Office,
Sir, 29th June 1916.
I am commanded by the Army Council to acknowledge the receipt of your letter
enclosing a proof of the Papers relating to the Operations in Mesopotamia which it is
proposed to lay before Parliament, and to state for the information of Mr. Secretary
Chamberlain that, after careful consideration, the Council find themselves strongly opposed
to their publication. The papers contain many indications as to the military problems
which have still to be faced, notably the difficulties of navigation on the Tigris, and of
maintaining a force far up that river, the protection of the oilfields and pipe line, and the
question of the isolated garrison at Nasiriyeh.
1 am to return the proof of the papers with those portions marked in blue which, on
purely military grounds, it will be most objectionable to publish at the present time; but
even from the remainder the Council are of opinion that an astute enemy, reading between
the lines, could obtain much information which would be of value to him. 'They therefore
desire to urge that the publication of the papers would involve serious military disadvantage,
and that, their publication should, therefore, be withheld ; it being stated if thought desirable
that, in the opinion of the Imperial General Staff, publication would prejudice the success of
operations in Mesopotamia.
I am, <&c.,
The Under Secretary of State 1C H. Brade.
for India.
(Military Department).
MS 266
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