King–Crane Commission
| Inter-Allied Commission on Mandates in Turkey | |
|---|---|
The first publication of the report in Editor & Publisher magazine in December 1922. The publication was described as a "Suppressed Official Document of the United States Government." | |
| Created | 1919, but not published until 1922 |
| Author(s) | Henry Churchill King and Charles R. Crane |
| Purpose | Official investigation by the United States Government concerning the disposition of non-Turkish areas within the former Ottoman Empire. |
The King–Crane Commission, officially called the 1919 Inter-Allied Commission on Mandates in Turkey, consisting primarily of an American delegation was a commission of inquiry concerning the disposition of areas within the former Ottoman Empire.
The Commission began as an outgrowth of the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. The Commission visited areas of Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and Anatolia, surveyed local public opinion, and assessed its view on the best course of action for the region. Originally meant to be led by French, British, Italian, and American representatives, it ended as an investigation conducted solely by the United States government after the other countries withdrew to avoid the risk of being "confronted by recommendations from their own appointed delegates which might conflict with their policies". With the withdrawal of other allied nations, the commission lost any real credibility.
The Commission submitted its report to the Paris Peace Conference in August 1919. Its working being undercut from the beginning by France and the United Kingdom's pact, the Sykes–Picot Agreement, and colonialist designs, the Peace Conference had largely concluded the area's future by the time the report was finished.