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Coll 7/4 'Afghanistan: purchase of arms from Great Britain' [‎483r] (970/1146)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (568 folios). It was created in 2 Jan 1930-19 Feb 1935. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

Transcription

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Zulfacar Khan telephoned to me yesterday with
reference to Mr. Seymour-e utter of Auguet 23rd, end
asked whether It would be possible for the tfar Office
to give the ..ignen Legation the names of agents through
whom enquiries could be made, with regard to the prices
of arms ; seeing that the «ar Office could not answer
such enquiries directly. l said 1 would see whether
anything could be done.
Ibis request is of course more definite than that
put forward before in that it is practically an
intimation that the Afghan Legation want to buy arms
from the War Office.
Ihe simplest procedure will be to do just what
the Legation ask l.e. give them the name of an agent
whom the isr Office can recommend. Ms will have the
advantage of net involving either the *ar Office or us
in the details of any purchases they may maKe. But it
will also have disadvantages, in that it will really
leave the Legation just where they were before i.e.
they will still want to know whether the agent is ask
ing a reasonable price (a fortlfiEi ^ B ®*
v , yr >o«ding or Messrs. Flemingsj.
any chance either Mr.
thufe will* i think
It no agent can he noraed *
6. no .It.i-wtlv. to suiains »»«
niiB wcwld Involve arr»n«in& for tr.eiri to p
0».c t fr OT «v « Offlc. ^ „
tn .,0 o„10 of o^rv. « » ~
.too hove to 0. --- proc . u „
n .10 ... 8 lv.n aio not ». ^ M(e t0 M c . rrl *,
of notification at Kabul *
.i* leave this country,
out before the arras cou

About this item

Content

The volume contains correspondence regarding the purchase by the Afghan Government of arms, ammunition and explosives from a number of sources, including the War Office and British and French firms.

It includes communications between British officials (HM Minister in Kabul and the Foreign Office) and the Afghan Foreign Ministry and Afghan legations to Paris and London, regarding: requests to purchase and transport materials; negotiations over customs dues and transport costs; requests for the recommendation of arms firms; and the quality of materials supplied by private companies.

Folios 552-567 consist of a memo titled 'Applications for the Export of Arms and Munitions to Afghanistan', providing details of the procedures to be followed, and a copy of the Anglo-Afghan Treaty (1921).

The file also contains correspondence between British and Indian officials (the War Office, the Board of Trade, the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Political Department, the Government of India Political Department, the Collector of Customs at Karachi) and a number of British firms, regarding: informal requests for permission to sell or transport munitions to the Afghan Government; applications for export licences; concerns over the quality and source of munitions; and details of alleged attempts by a German firm to supply arms, in possible violation of Article 170 of the Treaty of Versailles. The firms include: Messrs A Fleming; Gray, Dawes & Company; Mackinnon Mackenzie & Company; Imperial Chemical Industries Limited; and Machine Tools (India) Limited. The correspondence also includes information on the involvement of the French firm L'Office Générale de l'Air, and its dealings with Messrs A Fleming.

The volume includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. This is placed at the end of the correspondence (folios 4-5).

Extent and format
1 volume (568 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in rough chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 570; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

Written in
English in Latin script
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Coll 7/4 'Afghanistan: purchase of arms from Great Britain' [‎483r] (970/1146), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2173, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100056050959.0x0000ab> [accessed 30 April 2024]

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