Britain’s Kurdish Policy and Kurdistan 1918 -1923 by Ilhan KILIC A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of Degree of Master of Philosophy (MPhil) at the School of History of the University of East Anglia 2018 This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognize that its copyright rests with the author and that use of any information derived therefrom must be in accordance with the current UK copyright Law. In addition, any quotation or extract must include full attribution Abstract The Kurdish issue has remained in place on Turkey’s agenda and that of the world for almost a hundred years. This subject recently became a current issue again with the invasion of Iraq by the coalitions in 2003. Over time, Turkey has attempted to enact different policies in order to resolve the Kurdish problem that causes armed conflicts in some regions even now. Declaration of part of Iraq as Iraqi Kurdistan region in 2005 by some Kurds who benefited from the chaos in this region brought a new dimension to the subject. The Kurds managed to found an autonomous region on the border of Turkey. Civil war broke out along the southern border of Turkey and Syria in 2011. The balance of the Southern border of Turkey has changed with Kurdish communities actively taking a role in the civil war in Syria. On 16th of July 2014, ‘The law for ending terrorism and strengthening social integrity’ was published in Turkey, and the Democratic initiative process was legalized. All these factors brought the Kurdish problem back into question. The archival documents show that the Kurdish-British relations became intense especially between 1918 and 1923. In this term relationships were established between some British officers and Kurdish leaders. Major Noel, Major Soane, Talbot Wilson and Percy Cox in Eastern Anatolia and in the Mesopotamia region; Admiral Webb and Admiral Calthorpe in Istanbul; Churchill and George Curzon in London played important roles in shaping the British – the Kurdish relations, and in negotiations on possibility of establishing a Kurdish state. The British officials met with Sayyid Abdulkadir in Anatolia, Serif Pasha in Europe, Sheikh Mahmud and Sheikh Taha in Iraq and undertook important negotiations. A great majority of the Turkish historians and researchers see Britain as the main force behind the birth of the Kurdish problem in Turkey and the Middle East. Nevertheless Britain was accused of provoking the Kurds, living in Turkish regions, against Turks. According to general Turkish claims, Britain made promises to the Kurds to found a Kurdish State only as a way dominating over Mesopotamia, and 1 used the Kurds as a tool for its own purposes. This thesis examines the extent to what rival these claims are valid and whether Britain really had a significant policy for Kurdish autonomy, or not, in the light of the Turkish and British archives. In other words, it attempts to throw light on the questions of whether the promises for an autonomous or independent Kurdish State were given by the British to the Kurds. If the answer is yes; whether the claimed promises to Kurds were a result of British state policy or a result of personal initiatives of military officers who were acting in behalf of the Britain will be assessed. The study also investigates the progress of the Kurdish issue on international platforms, how it was shaped and which factors affected it, from the end of the First World War (1918) to the Treaty of Lausanne(24 July 1923). In addition to this, the claims made by British officials that autonomy promises were given to Kurds by the Turkish government in Ankara are evaluated in the light of the Turkish and British records. 2 Acknowledgement I would like to express my special appreciation and thanks to some special people. I am indebted to each of them for their generosity and wisdom. This thesis would not have been completed without their great support. First of all I would like to express my sincere thanks to my former primary advisor Professor John Charmley. I am really thankful to him for sharing with me his valuable expertise, guidance and encouragement. I am grateful for his understanding and the patience he showed to me. He always believed in me and encouraged me to complete my thesis. I would also like to thank you my secondary supervisor Professor Cathie Carmichael for her assistance and advice. She was always very kind to me. I would like to extend my gratitude to my country, the Republic of Turkey giving me the opportunity to study abroad; and to the Republic of Turkey Ministry of National Education employees for all their assistance. I am also grateful to employees of the National Archives, the British Library, the Prime Ministry Ottoman Archives (BOA) and the Turkish General Staff Military History and Strategic Studies Archives (ATASE). This thesis would not have been possible without their assistance. I would also like to say thank you to my friends Necmi Uyanık, Sefer Solmaz and Burcu Evren for their help in gathering documents in the National Archives. I could not have collected that many British documents without their assistance. Furthermore, I would like to express my gratitude to all of the Department faculty members, library and postgraduate office staff for their help and support. Also I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to my friends living in Norwich, Leicester and London. I would also like to thank my colleagues in the University of East Anglia for their friendship Finally, a special thanks to my family. I cannot express how grateful I am to my father, mother, sisters, brother, nephews and aunts. This thesis would not have been possible without their support. Their prayers for me were what sustained me this far. 3 Glossary Elviye-i Selase: Three livas; Cities of Kars, Ardahan, Batum Heyet-i Temsiliye: Representative Delegation Heyet-i Vukela: The Council of Ministers İngiliz Muhipleri Cemiyeti: The British Friendship Society İttihat ve Terakki Cemiyeti: The Committee of Union and Progress Kürt Teali Cemiyeti: The Society for the Rise of Kurdistan Kuvayi Milliye: National Forces Misak-ı Milli: The National Act Müdafaa-i Hukuk Cemiyeti: Defence of the National Rights Osmanlı Mebusan Meclisi: The Ottoman Chambers of Deputies Şurayı Devlet: Council of State Vilayet-i Sitte: Six Provinces: Cities of Erzurum, Van, Diyarbakır, Sivas, Bitlis, and Harput 4 List of Abbreviations ATASE: The Turkish General Staff Military History and Strategic Studies Archives AAMD: Atatürk Research Center Magazine (Atatürk Araştırma Merkezi Dergisi) BOA: The Prime Ministry Ottoman Archives (Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivi) CAB: Cabinet Papers CO: Colonial Office FO: Foreign Office HTVD : Harp Tarihi Vesikaları Dergisi (War History Documents Magazine) ISH: Independence War Catalogue (İstiklal Harbi Kataloğu) PRO: Public Record Office TGNA: Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) WO: War Office 5 Table of Contents Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................... 1 Acknowledgement ................................................................................................................................... 3 Glossary .................................................................................................................................................... 4 List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................ 5 Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................... 6 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 9 CHAPTER 1 ............................................................................................................................................. 21 Relations and Developments from 30 October 1918 to 19 May 1919 .................................................. 21 1.1Mondros Armistice (30 October 1918) ......................................................................... 21 1.2 The Situation under the Lights of British Officer’s Reports ......................................... 24 1.3 Paris Peace Conference (18 January 1919 - 10 August 1920) ...................................... 38 1.3.1 Şerif Pasha in Paris Peace Conference .................................................................. 45 CHAPTER 2 ............................................................................................................................................. 73 The Turkish National Struggle Emerges (19 May 1919) ......................................................................... 73 2.1 Declaration of the Havza Circular (28/29 May 1919) .................................................. 75 2.2 Borders of Kurdistan on the Baghdad Administration Report on 13 June 1919 ......... 76 2.3 Declaration of the Amasya Circular (22 June 1919) ..................................................... 80 2.4 Erzurum Congress (23 July – 7 August 1919) ............................................................... 84 2.5 Ali Batı Revolt (11 May 1919-18 August 1919) ............................................................ 87 2.6 Sivas Congress (4-11 September 1919).......................................................................