Skip to item: of 1,035
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

Coll 7/5 'Afghanistan: purchase of arms etc. from foreign sources: Germany' [‎203r] (405/1035)

This item is part of

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.

Apply page layout

r\
to Afghanistan and exported to Afghanistan by routes to be agreed
upon between the two Governments of a rebate at the time and
place of export of the full amount of Customs duty levied upon such
goods, provided that such goods shall be transported through India
in sealed packages which shall not be opened or subdivided before
their export from India.
And also the British Government declares that it has no present
intention of levying Customs duty on goods or livestock of Afghan
origin or manufacture, imported by land or by river into India or
exported from Afghanistan to other countries of the world through
India and the import of which into India is not prohibited by law.
In the-event, however, of the British Government deciding in the
future to levy Customs duties on goods and livestock imported into
India by land or by river from neighbouring States, it will, if
necessary, levy such duties on imports from Afghanistan; but in
that event it agrees that it will not levy higher duties on imports
from Afghanistan than those levied on imports from such neigh
bouring States. Nothing in this Article shall prevent the levy on
imports from Afghanistan of the present Khyber tolls and of octroi
in any town of India in which octroi is or may be hereafter levied,
provided that there shall be no enhancement over the present rate
of the Khyber tolls.
Article 8.
The British Government agrees to the establishment of trade
agents by the Afghan Government at Peshawar, Quetta and
Parachinar, provided that the personnel and the property of the
said agencies shall be subject to the operations of all British laws
and orders and to the jurisdiction of British Courts; and that they
shall not be recognised by the British authorities as having any
official or special privileged position.
Article 9.
The trade goods coming to (imported to) Afghanistan under tin'
provisions of Article 7 from Europe, &c., can be opened at the
railway terminuses at Jamrud, in the Kurram and at Chaman for
packing and arranging to suit the capacity of baggage animals
without this being the cause of reimposition of Customs duties; and
the carrying out of this will be arranged by the trade representatives
mentioned in Article 12 .
Article 10.
The two High Contracting Parties agree to afford facilities of
every description for the exchange of postal matter between their
two countries, provided that neither shall be authorised to establish
Post Offices within the territory of the other. In order to give effect
to this Article, a separate Postal Convention shall be concluded,
for the preparation of which such number of special officers as the
Afghan Government may appoint shall meet the officers of the
British Government and consult with them.

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
Cite this item in your research

Coll 7/5 'Afghanistan: purchase of arms etc. from foreign sources: Germany' [‎203r] (405/1035), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2174, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100037552873.0x000006> [accessed 28 March 2024]

Link to this item
Embed this item

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_100037552873.0x000006">Coll 7/5 'Afghanistan: purchase of arms etc. from foreign sources: Germany' [&lrm;203r] (405/1035)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100037552873.0x000006">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000555.0x0002c9/IOR_L_PS_12_2174_0406.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
IIIF details

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

Use and reuse
Download this image