![Coll 7/5 'Afghanistan: purchase of arms etc. from foreign sources: Germany' [‎193v] (386/1035)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000555.0x0002c9/IOR_L_PS_12_2174_0387.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "Coll 7/5 'Afghanistan: purchase of arms etc. from foreign sources: Germany' [‎193v] (386/1035)")
Coll 7/5 'Afghanistan: purchase of arms etc. from foreign sources: Germany' [193v] (386/1035)
The record is made up of 1 file (517 folios). It was created in 3 Jul 1931-24 Oct 1939. It was written in English and French. 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.
2
!
to refuse transit, a colourable case could be made out
irom a legal point of view in favour of allowing transit.
3 ^The practical arguments in favour of allowing transit
seem extremely strong. Our obligations to the Afghan
Government under the 1921 Treaty are quite explicit and are
not limited by any condition regarding the origin of the
arms. It would be quite impossible to make th e Afghans
accept, or even understand, an argument that such indirect
obligations as we may have under the Versailles Treaty
take preference over our quite explicit obligations under the
1921 Treaty. They would look upon a refusal of transit
facilities as an unfriendly act, particularly in view of the
Ufai V. At
reference^in the 1921 Treaty to the circumstances in which
transit may be refused, and they would suspect that our
action was a shallow device to force them to purchase arms
from the United Kingdom (they have at various times made
enquiries from the Government of India, H.M. G. and Messrs
*
Vickers for mountain guns, field guns and machine guns).
The Afghans would justifiably ask v/hy we neglect the
Disarmament clauses of theTreaty of Versailles when it
suits uSjas it did in the case of the Anglo-German Naval
Agreement, but refuse to pass over sub silentio a breach of
these clauses by Germany from which Afghanistan would
profit.
U The view has been taken in the Foreign Office that
there is no question of addressing a protest to the German
Government in this matter. This is understandable. But it
makes it even less practicable to refuse transit to the
Afghans. The latter would inform the Germans of our refusal; I
no doubt representing our^ction as due to a desire to hinder !
the improvement of Afghan-Geiman relations^and this would
seem likely to have as bad an effect on our.relations with
Germany as would a direct protest. Moreover we are, to a
certain/
About this item
- Content
The file contains correspondence regarding the purchase of weapons and ammunition by the Afghan Government from Germany and other sources. It includes correspondence between Afghan Officials -- the Foreign Minister, the Legations to Paris and London, and the Consulate of Afghanistan in India -- and British Officials, including 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, HM Minister Kabul (Richard Maconachie), the Foreign Office, the War Office, and HM Ambassador to Berlin (Neville Henderson).
The file opens with correspondence regarding the alleged purchase in 1931 of arms from Germany, in violation of Article 170 of the Treaty of Versailles. It is determined that the arms in question originated in Poland, with funding from the German Government. Later correspondence documents the British decision not to protest against such treaty violations, in light of the obligation on Britain to not interfere with the supply of arms to Afghanistan as agreed in the Anglo-Afghan Treaty (1921).
Arrangements for the purchase, licensing and transport of arms to Afghanistan from Czechoslovakia, Germany, Japan, Spain, the USA, France and Belgium are documented in the file. The principal firms involved in these arrangements are: Škoda Works; Rheinmetall-Borsig AG; Dynamit-Actien-Gesellschaft (vormals Alfred Nobel); and Messrs Vickers-Armstrongs Limited. A number of additional firms are mentioned but not named. The file also contains communications received from the Government of India Central Board of Revenue and the Collector of Customs at Karachi, reporting on the arrival and examination of shipments, the validity of export licences, and the payment of customs dues.
The file includes dividers which give lists of correspondence references contained in the file by year. These are placed at the end of the correspondence (folios 2-4).
- Extent and format
- 1 file (517 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in rough 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 517; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at 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 and French in Latin script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
Coll 7/5 'Afghanistan: purchase of arms etc. from foreign sources: Germany' [193v] (386/1035), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2174, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100037552872.0x0000bb> [accessed 19 April 2024]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100037552872.0x0000bb
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_100037552872.0x0000bb">Coll 7/5 'Afghanistan: purchase of arms etc. from foreign sources: Germany' [‎193v] (386/1035)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100037552872.0x0000bb"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000555.0x0002c9/IOR_L_PS_12_2174_0387.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_100000000555.0x0002c9/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2174
- Title
- Coll 7/5 'Afghanistan: purchase of arms etc. from foreign sources: Germany'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:10v, 12r:21v, 23r:23v, 25r:27v, 29r:42v, 44r:60v, 62r:65v, 67r:67v, 69r:74v, 76r:77v, 80r:80v, 82r:145v, 149r:160v, 162r:169v, 171r:174v, 176r:205r, 206r:248v, 250r:254v, 256r:334v, 336r:357v, 359r:370v, 372r:378v, 380r:390v, 392r:394v, 396r:398v, 400r:418v, 420r:420v, 422r:428v, 430r:431v, 433r:443v, 445r:451v, 453r:456v, 458r:462v, 465r:465v, 468r:474v, 476r:481v, 484r:496v, 498r:517v, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence