It was claimed that the destruction of the Ottoman Empire'would have far-reaching results upon the general military situation .'Early in February 1918 General Jan Christiaan Smuts ( a member of the Imperial War Cabinet ) was sent to confer with Allenby regarding the implementation of the Joint Note.
12.
Joint Note 12 and Note 14 proposing the formation of a General Reserve were discussed at the second full session of the SWC ( 30 January 2 February 1918 ) : Robertson opposed attacks on Turkey, ( 1 Feb ) siding openly with Clemenceau against Lloyd George.
13.
Robertson thought Wilson's SWC Joint Note 12, which predicted that neither side could win a decisive victory on the Western Front in 1918, and that decisive results could be had against Turkey, d-----d rot in general and promised Haig he would stick to ( his ) guns and clear out if ( he was ) overruled .
14.
SWC Joint Note 12 declared that, leaving aside improbables such as Central Powers internal collapse or Russian revival, neither side could win a decisive victory on the Western Front in 1918, although decisive results could be had against Turkey ( although, at French insistence, no further troops were to be sent ), possibly leading to diversion of German troops and encouragement of pro-Allied elements in Romania and southern Russia.
