Page:Minutes of War Cabinet Meeting 2, 11 December 1916.djvu/2

Rh The War Cabinet decided that the Admiralty and War Office should concert arrangements to lend four horse transports to the French Government, subject to the condition we could recall them if we needed them ourselves.

2. The War Cabinet had some discussion as to the Minister to represent the British Government at the forthcoming Conference in Russia. It was pointed out that this Conference has been proposed on our initiative, and that great disappointment would be caused if some prominent Minister did not represent us. The objects of the Conference were to arrange a meeting between prominent Generals of the British and Russian armies; to discover not only how we could help Russia with munitions, and how far the Russians could make effective use of them, but also how far the Russians could assist us financially and by making better use of Russian man-power for meeting their own requirements.

''The War Cabinet decided that the Foreign Office should inform our Allies that our representatives would be ready to start immediately after Christmas. No final decision was taken as regards a Ministerial representative, but the opinion was expressed that, if Mr. Balfour's state of health would permit him to go, it would be very much in the national interest.''

3. A Summary of telegrams received in regard to Greece since the last meeting of the War Cabinet is attached in Appendix I.

The War Cabinet reached the following decisions:—

(f.) The Foreign Office should arrange that the British, French, Russian and Italian Ministers at Athens should concert