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Catalogue Reference:CAB/23/4
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[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
Printed for the War Cabinet.
November
1917.
SECRET.
WAR CABINET, 2 7 9 .
Minutes
of a Meeting of the War Cabinet held at 10, Downing Street, S.W., on
Wednesday, November 21, 1917, at 11*30 A.M.
Present:
THE
T h e R i g h t Hon. t h e
P R I M E MINISTER
EARL
KEE-LESTON, K . G . , C C S . I . ,
The
Right
Hon. the
CTJRZON O F
CCI.E.
VISCOUNT
MILNER,
G.C.B., G.C.M.G.
T h e R i g h t Hon.
GEORGE
N.
BARNES,
M.P.
(in the Chair).
T h e Right Hon. A.
BONAR LAW,
Lieutenant-General
J.
C. SMUTS,
the
M.P.
Right
Hon.
CARSON,
K C ,
K G
T h e Right Hon.
M.P. '
SIR E.
T h e foUowing were also present :T h e R i g h t Hon. A . J . B A L F O U R , C M ; ,
M.P., Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs.
T h e Right Hon. W . L O N G , M.P., Secretary
of State for t h e Colonies (for Minutes 1
to 3).
T h e R i g h t Hon. the E A R L O F D E R B Y , K G . ,
G.C.V.O., O.B., Secretarv of State for
War.
SIR L. WORTHINGTON EVANS,
G e n e r a l S I R W . R. R O B E R T S O N , G . C . B . ,
K.C.V.O., D.S.O., Chief of t h e Imperial
General Staff.
T h e Right Hon. A U S T E N
M.P. (for Minute 21).
Bart., M.P.,
Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of
Munitions (for Minute 18).
CHAMBERLAIN,
A d m i r a l S I R J . R. J E L L I C O E ,
G.C.B.,
C M . , G.O.V.O., First Sea Lord a n d
Chief of t h e Naval Staff (for Minutes 1
to 15).
Lieutenant-Colonel
SIR
M. P . A. H A N K E Y , K.C.B.,
Fleet P a y m a s t e r P . H. Row, R.N., Assistant
Secretary.
Captain t h e Hon. W . O R M S B Y - G O R E , M.P., Assistant
Mr.
The Western Front.
THOMAS JONES,
Assistant
Secretary.
Secretary.
Secretary.
1. T H E Chief of t h e Imperial General Staff described i n
detail t h e extremely successful action on the A r r a s - C a m b r a i front.
T h e Chief of the Imperial General Staff pointed out that these
operations on t h e Western F r o n t m i g h t call for an early revision of
the decision with regard t o t h e despatch of further Divisions to
Italy.
T h e W a r Cabinet decided that—
Field-Marshal Sir Douglas H a i g should b e informed that h e
m i g h t use t h e two Divisions now u n d e r orders, b u t that
h e was to g e t together' two others, not necessarily in full
[1365-279]
B
strength, for despatch, if required ; a n d that, meanwhile,
the French, should he allowed to use the railway facilities
to Italy now allotted to us, for the despatch of F r e n c h
Divisions, and of heavy artillery, or a n y t h i n g else useful ands
needed, p e n d i n g a definite decision whether more British
Divisions are to he sent, under the circumstances.
2. The Chief of the Imperial General Staff reported t h a t
General Allenby was now within b' or 7 miles of Jerusalem, to t h e
North-West.
3. The Chief of the Imperial General Staff, after referring to
the published communique announcing the surrender of a good
m a n y Germans a n d natives in East Africa, stated that not more
than about 250 Germans, with some 3,000 natives, remained in
. the field.
He drew attention to a telegram from General V a n
Deventer s u g g e s t i n g that he should now m a k e some offer to
General von Lettow for surrender ; and he also suggested t h a t
very good results would follow if we could m a k e an announcement
that German East Africa would not be surrendered to G e r m a n y at
the end of t h e war.
T h e Secretary of State for the Colonies pointed out that, b y
m a k i n g such a Proclamation as was proposed, t h e natives would b e
safeguarded against subsequent reprisals by the G e r m a n s , and. t h a t
many lives m i g h t be spared in the exhausting operations i n this
difficult country if the natives now with the Germans could be
induced to desert.
T h e Secretary of State for F o r e i g n Affairs stated that t h e
question of the German African colonies was extremely difficult.
There were three lines of a r g u m e n t which h a d to be taken into
account :—
(a.) Could we, u n d e r any circumstances, afford to allow Ger­
many the possession of good submarine bases, such, as
Dar-es-Salam, after the war i
(b.) Could we allow t h e native population to be re transfer red
against their will to G e r m a n domination ?
(c.) Could the civilised world as a whole r e g a r d with equanimity
t h e avowed a n d expressed intentions of Germany to
create a large and well-disciplined black army in the
heart of Africa, which would be in a position t o threaten
not merely the whole of that continent, but white civilisa­
tion also ?
T h e one difficulty we h a d to face was the suggestion, so freely
p u t about b y the enemy both abroad a n d in our midst, that t h e
Allies, and more particularly Great Britain, were out for plunder
and further territorial acquisitions. He t h o u g h t that the Cabinet
should consider very carefully the proposal for t h e internationalisa­
tion of the former German colonies in Africa, which would have the
effect.of preventing the creation of a naval a n d military menace,
while at the same time t h e most valuable r a w materials would be
available for t h e factories of the world, a n d not merely of Germany.
This question was adjourned u n t i l t h e following day, p e n d i n g a
conversation which the P r i m e Minister and Mr. Balfour
were to hold with Colonel House at Downing Street that
afternoon.
4. Sir E d w a r d Carson said that his survey of our p r o p a g a n d a
led him to believe t h a t t h e pacifists were greatly assisted b y the
lack of definiteuess iu regard, to our territorial w a r aims.
Mr. Barnes supported this view, a n d the Cabinet felt t h a t this,
again, was a m a t t e r which could be better discussed after the before­
mentioned interview with Colonel House.
Mesopotamia:
The Chief
Command.
Salonica.
5. On the, recommendation of the Secretary of State for W a r
and t h e Chief of the Imperial General Staff, the War Cabinet
approved the appointment of Lieutenant-General Sir W. R. MarshaB,
K.C.B., to fill t h e vacancy caused by the death of General Sir
Stanley Maude.
The W a r Cabinet further authorised the Secretary of State for
W a r to make enquiries in r e g a r d to the pecuniary circumstances of
Lady Maude, and took the view that in this case it was most desir­
able that the State should act generously in this respect.
G. W i t h reference to War Cabinet 277, Minute 7, attention was
d r a w n to a further report from Lieutenant-Colonel Plunkett con­
firming previous accounts in regard to the grave state of affairs at
Salonica, largely due to the command of General Sarrail.
I t was pointed out that, in addition to the other causes of weak­
ness, the British troops were saturated with malaria.
The Chief of t h e Imperial General Staff reported that his liaison
officer at Paris had seen M. Clemenceau, who had expressed mis­
givings with regard to the situation, and h a d asked whether t h e
British Government were satisfied with the existing state' of affairs.
What disturbed h i m most was the difficulty of obtaining any
information. General Sarrail had not yet sent the report promised
by the F r e n c h Government at Rapallo (I.C.-31).
T h e W a r Cabinet decided that—
The P r i m e Minister should send a strongly-worded personal
letter to M. Ciemenceau, drawing his attention to t h e
previous letters that h a d passed regarding General Sarrail
and the seriousness of the situation.
With reference to the report by Lieutenant-Colonel E. A.
Plunkett, dated the 17th November, 1917 (Paper G.T.-2687), Lord
Curzon drew attention to the fact that certain of our troops were
stationed in unhealthy areas, whereas other battalions were more
favourably placed, t h e result being that t h e moral of the former was
not likely to be maintained at such a h i g h level.
The Chief of t h e Imperial General Staff undertook to enquire
into t h e practicability of periodical exchanges between t h e
troops in the two areas.
P u b l i c a t i o n of
Gaza Despatch.
7. T h e Chief of the Imperial General Staff, with reference t o
W a r C a b i n e t . 2 4 8 , Minute 7, drew attention to the mischievous
attitude adopted by the Northcliffe press in r e g a r d to the publication
of Sir Archibald Murray's last despatch. He explained that i t h a d
been quite impossible, on military grounds, to publish this despatch,
in view of the fact t h a t General Allenby's position before the
capture of Gaza, w a s identically t h a t which was described in such
detail b y Sir Archibald Murray.
T h e W a r Cabinet decided t h a t —
N o notice should be taken of t h e articles i n question.
T h e I n v a s i o n of
Italy.
8. T h e Chief of t h e Imperial General Staff reported t h a t
General P i u m e F s last telegrams were most satisfactory ; the Italians
had been counter-attacking, and the situation was better from every
point of view.
T r e a t m e n t of
D e p e n d a n t s of
Soldiers S h o t for
Disciplinary
Reasons.
9. Sir Edward Carson drew attention to t h e procedure of the
W a r Office in cases of the next-of-kin of soldiers shot for cowardice
or other crimes in the field, whereby a notification of the fact is
made and all pensions w i t h d r a w n .
The W a r Cabinet requested-—
The Secretary of State for War to a r r a n g e that in future the
communications made to the dejjendauts should not convey
that the man had been shot, but that h e h a d died- on
service ;
and decided that—
Subject to the agreement of the Minister of Pensions, the
pensions should be paid in the same m a n n e r as to soldiers
who had died on active service, and t h a t the same should
apply as r e g a r d s officers.
The W a r Cabinet further decided that—
This decision should be made retrospective.
Mr. Barnes undertook to discuss this m a t t e r with the Minister
of Pensions, a n d was given full powers to m a k e all arrange­
ments.
Submarines.
10. T h e First Sea Lord reported two engagements with enemy
submarines, d u r i n g which seaplanes h a d dropped bombs in their
vicinity, with the possibility that one of the submarines was seriously
damaged.
H.M.S. " Candy­
tuff-"
1 1 . T h e First Sea Lord reported that the sloop " C a n d y t u f f "
w a s torpedoed i n - t h e Mediterranean on the 18th instant, 4 officers
a n d 11 m e n b e i n g killed. T h e commanding officer states that h e is
of opinion that the enemy submarine w as sunk b y gunfire.
r
L i g h t Cruiser
Action in t h e N o r t h
Sea.
12. W i t h reference to W a r Cabinet 277, Minute 12, the First
Sea Lord stated that 22 German prisoners, of whom. 1 officer and
5 men were naval r a t i n g s , h a d been taken d u r i n g the recent
engagement in the Heligoland Bight. They were p a r t of the crew
of an outpost vessel.
B r i t i s h Submarines
the Baltic.
13. W i t h reference to W a r Cabinet 266, Minute 8, the First Sea
Lord stated that the Admiralty had under careful consideration the
question of the British submarines in the Baltic. T h e minefields in
Danish waters would probably prevent the submarines leaving, but
it was possible to cause the submarines to be interned in a neutral
country, and thus release their crews. Admiral Stanley had been
asked for his views on the subject.
The Italian Front.
14. T h e First Sea Lord stated that British monitors based on
Venice h a d bombarded and destroyed a bridge over the Piave River.
U.S.A. Destroyer
" Chauncey."
15. T h e F i r s t Sea Lord stated that the U.S..A. destroyer
" Chauncey " had been in collision with a transport,, a n d had been
sunk, 3 officers and 18 men being lost.
Roumania.
16. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs drew the attention
of the W a r Cabinet to a very important telegram that had been
received from Roumania (No. 690, dated the 17th November, 1917).
in
H e attached the greatest importance to our refusal to accept a n y
idea of countenancing a separate peace with Germany, and h e
t h o u g h t t h a t the only practical way out of the difficulty was to g e t
into touch with General K a l e d i n and M. Savinkoff, who was now w i t h
t h e former, t h r o u g h Roumania, Avith a view to obtaining t h e i r
s u p p o r t for the Roumanians.
I n this connection Sir Edward Carson reported t h a t he had h a d
an important meeting on the p r e A d o u s day with Count Horodyski, a
Polish leader, at which t h e Director of Military InteUigence (General
Macdonogh) had been present. As a result of this meeting, he­
believed that the formation of a nucleus of Poles, Cossacks,
Roumanians, and Armenians was a practical proposition, which
m i g h t be realised, should we be able to get at General Kaledin
t h r o u g h the Roumanians and through America. I t was quite clear
t h a t the British were most u n p o p u l a r in Russia at the present
moment, and t h a t it Avas questionable policy for Great Britain to
approach General Kaledin, who was still only the leader of a faction,
officially or direct
T h e importance AA*as u r g e d of our doing n o t h i n g which a p p e a r e d
to take sides in the internal dispute now r a g i n g i n Russia.
T h e W a r Cabinet decided t h a t —
The Chief of the Imperial Staff should confer with his Intelli­
gence Department, with a view to selecting an individual
to b e sent, either from this country or from Roumania, to
get into touch w i t h General Kaledin.
Poland.
17. W i t h regard to Sir E d w a r d Carson's intimation referred to
in the previous Minute, concerning the Poles, the Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs entered a caA-eat regarding Count Horodyski.
The latter was u r g i n g u s to m a k e a further announcement in favour
of a n independent Poland a n d an independent Bohemia. Mr. Balfour
t h o u g h t t h a t we should not go further than the very s t r o n g declara­
tion m a d e recently by u s on t h e anniversary of the death of the
Polish patriot Kosciusko. As far as his personal sympathies Avere
concerned, although he did not in any way wish to minimise the
efforts of m a n y of the Poles, he t h o u g h t the Bohemians Avere
deserving of the greatest consideration from the Allies. They h a d
m a d e great sacrifices for t h e Allies, b u t he feared that, owing to
their geographical position, the ideal of independence appeared
c h i m e r i c a l ; the utmost t h a t they could hope for b e i n g home rule
w i t h i n the AristroT-Iungarian E m p i r e .
Supply of Guns to
Italy.
I S . T h e W a r Cabinet h a d u n d e r consideration a telegram from
Mr. Churchill in Paris ( P a p e r G.T.-2689) relative to t h e supply of
rifles, g u n s , and ammunition to Italy, as well as a request by the
Minister of Munitions to Lord Derby that, if the W a r Cabinet decided
on the principle of affording aid, General Furse m i g h t b e authorised
to settle the main details direct w i t h Mr. Churchill.
Lord Derby stated that he h a d sent General F u r s e across to
F r a n c e to confer Avith Mr. Churchill on the subject, and t h a t h e was
prepared to endorse any a r r a n g e m e n t t h a t may b e agreed to b y
General F u r s e . If such a r r a n g e m e n t did not cover the whole of the
Italian demands, Lord Derby considered that the question of such
further supply should be considered by the Committee on the
Allocation of G u n s in relation to the demands p u t forward b y our
own armies a n d b y those of the other Allied Governments ( W a r
Cabinet 247, Minute 7).
T h e W a r Cabinet decided t h a t —
Sir L. Worthington E v a n s should telegraph to Mr. Churchill
that the W a r Cabinet AVOUIC! support any a r r a n g e m e n t he
m i g h t m a k e with t h e Italians, if agreed to b y General
[1335-279]
'
C
Furse, who h a d received instructions on the subject from
Lord D e r b y ; also that the W a r Cabinet approve of
preliminary studies for a Conference at the end of this
month as regards the Italian output of munitions, b u t that
they could not agree to Mr. C h u r c h i l l s proposals to bargain
for a reduction in t h e shipping tonnage allotted to France,
as this was a matter within t h e province of Lord MilaeFs
Committee.
19. With reference to W a r Cabinet 277, Minute 6, Lord Curzon
stated that a Proclamation h a d been p r e p a r e d and that it w a s most
important that, if and when Jerusalem were captured, the news
should be made known in a w ay calculated favourably to impress
India and the Mohammedan world, a n d to satisfy them t h a t t h e
Moslem Holy Places would be protected.
T h e War Cabinet decided that—
Palestine.
r
IMo statement as to the capture or imminent capture of J e r u s a l e m
should be issued to the press before the Prime Minister
had publicly had an opportunity of giving assurances as to
the protection to be afforded to the Holy Places of t h e
Moslems and Christians.
"Wages i n
Engineering and
Foundry Trades.
20. W i t h reference to W a r Cabinet 252, Minute 1, t h e W a r
Cabinet had before them a memorandum by t h e Minister of Munitions
question o f extending to semi-skilled and unskilled time­
workers the bonus of 12^ per cent, recently g r a n t e d to skilled time­
w o r k e r s in t h e engineering a n d foundry trades.
I t was explained t h a t a decision was urgently required, a s t h e
men in some areas were b e i n g kept at work with difficulty.
The
present demand a r o s e . directly out of the recent concession of
12^- per cent, to skilled w o r k e r s . Subsequent to this decision, t h e
Committee on Production h a d granted a further general advance of
5s. The result was that those grades which h a d only received the
advance of 5s. were asking for the, bonus of 12^- per cent. If this
were granted, the relative positions of t h e s k i l l e d and semi-skilled
would b e once again what it was before the bonus was given.
F u r t h e r , the sums involved i n the p r e s e n t demand were very large.
The whole p o s i t i o n was unsatisfactory and s h o w e d that some
co-ordination of the Departments d e a l i n g with Labour was very
much needed.
T h e W a r Cabinet authorised—
o
n
Lord Milner and Mr. Barnes to decide whether or not the
advance now asked for should be granted.
Inter-Allied
Council.
2 1 . W i t h reference to W a r Cabinet 274, Minute 1 1 , Mr. Austen
Chamberlain stated t h a t he had been asked by Mr. Crosby, the
chairman of the Inter-Allied Council, w h e t h e r he could m a k e it
convenient to attend meetings of the Council in Paris, as it
was desired by the F r e n c h authorities to hold the same there.
Mr. Chamberlain added that the matter was n o t a question of his
convenience, b u t that h e understood it was t h e wish of the British
Government that the meetings of the Council should be held in
London, as it was, on the whole, the most suitable place for the
purpose.
I t was pointed out that it was quite impossible for General
Smuts, who was a member of the Council, to attend meetings in
Paris, in view of his manifold duties elsewhere.
T h e W a r Cabinet decided—
To
a d h e r e t o t h e o r i g i n a l a r r a n g e m e n t , namely', t h a t t h e
h e a d q u a r t e r s of t h e C o u n c i l s h o u l d b e i n L o n d o n , a n d
requested
Mr.
Austen
Chamberlain
so t o
inform
Mr. Crosby.
2, Whitehall Gardens,
S.W.,
November 2 1 , 1 9 1 7 .