![Coll 7/37 'Afghanistan: sale of 25,000 1914 pattern rifles from War Office stocks and 7 million rounds of ammunition from Government of India stocks; negotiations with Afghan Government' [‎502r] (1006/1201)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000555.0x0002e6/IOR_L_PS_12_2204_1008.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "Coll 7/37 'Afghanistan: sale of 25,000 1914 pattern rifles from War Office stocks and 7 million rounds of ammunition from Government of India stocks; negotiations with Afghan Government' [‎502r] (1006/1201)")
Coll 7/37 'Afghanistan: sale of 25,000 1914 pattern rifles from War Office stocks and 7 million rounds of ammunition from Government of India stocks; negotiations with Afghan Government' [502r] (1006/1201)
The record is made up of 1 file (598 folios). It was created in 13 Jul 1935-28 Mar 1941. 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
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
Memorandum
enditure on Aigdanistain Government of
Indiana pro]osed special fund.
1. The stability and friendship of the Afghan Government
is important to British interests for two reasons - (i) an
unstaole Afghan Government would be unable, and an unfriendly
one might be unwilling, to co-operate with us in the
maintenance of order among the Pathan tribes on either aide
of the furand line; this may be regarded as a specifically
^ndian problem; (ii) a disunited or unfriendly Afghanistan,
or a weak Afghan Government, would no longer serve as an
efficient buffer against military aggression or (what is even
more likely) revolutionary intrigue directed towards India by
the Soviet Government; in such conditions it would be easy
for that Government, by bringing Afghanistan, piecemeal or as
a whole, under economic domination and political influence, to
sap the approaches to India and gain a base most conveniently
situated either for the preparation of future military
aggression or for the promotion of that internal revolution
in Inuia which is the acknowledged aim of the communist
international. v/ith reference particularly to the danger
of military aggression the Cabinet on 14th March, 1934,
reaffirmed the previous policy of regarding the independence
and integrity of Afghanistan as essential to the defence of
india and the Empire.
2. it is clear that the second interest referred to above is
not only, nor even mainly, a distinctively Indian interest,
but is a British interest in the widest sense. But it is
also true that in the concrete the two interests are so
interlinked that, in considering the partieularjpueations
which arise, it is for the most part impossible to estimate
otherwise than quite arbitrarily in what proportions the
distinctively inuian or the wiuer imperial aspect of the
matter predominates.
3./
About this item
- Content
This file is a continuation of Collection 7/36, reference IOR/L/PS/12/2203.It contains correspondence between the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the Secretary of State for India, HM Minister at Kabul, the War Office, the Government of India Foreign and Political (later External Affairs) Department, and 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.
Much of the early correspondence duplicates that found in IOR/L/PS/12/2203, and concerns the Afghan Government's request for an additional 25,000 rifles plus ammunition, debates over the division of liability between British and Indian revenues, and discussion of possible payment options.
The rest of the correspondence concerns arrangements for shipping the arms and ammunition, and is accompanied by delivery invoices and reports on the quality inspections conducted prior to shipping. Details of the procedures, including examples of examiners' marks, and a sketch of the packing crates used, can be found at folios 262, and 234-238.
Prior to sale, the War Office had undertaken to perform firing tests on all the rifles for an additional charge. These tests were not conducted, and the file contains correspondence between 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. and the War Office, discussing the best options for presenting this fact to the Afghan Government, options for conducting the tests or reducing the price of the order, and the potential damage that would be caused to Britain's reputation, and Anglo-Afghan relations.
The correspondence also concerns complaints by the Afghan Government that a number of rifles were damaged in transit or badly corroded. It documents the disagreement between the War Office, 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. and the Government of India over the provision of replacement rifles and parts, and contains details of the eventual arrangements and final agreement with the Afghan Government (found at folios 117-122).
The file includes dividers which give lists of correspondence references contained in the file by year. These are found at the end of the correspondence (folios 2-3).
- Extent and format
- 1 file (598 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 599; 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 View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
Coll 7/37 'Afghanistan: sale of 25,000 1914 pattern rifles from War Office stocks and 7 million rounds of ammunition from Government of India stocks; negotiations with Afghan Government' [502r] (1006/1201), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2204, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100036310622.0x000006> [accessed 10 May 2024]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100036310622.0x000006
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100036310622.0x000006">Coll 7/37 'Afghanistan: sale of 25,000 1914 pattern rifles from War Office stocks and 7 million rounds of ammunition from Government of India stocks; negotiations with Afghan Government' [‎502r] (1006/1201)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100036310622.0x000006"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000555.0x0002e6/IOR_L_PS_12_2204_1008.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000555.0x0002e6/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2204
- Title
- Coll 7/37 'Afghanistan: sale of 25,000 1914 pattern rifles from War Office stocks and 7 million rounds of ammunition from Government of India stocks; negotiations with Afghan Government'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:121v, 123r:244r, 246r:367v, 370r:490v, 491ar, 491r:491v, 492ar, 492r:599v, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence