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Coll 7/5 'Afghanistan: purchase of arms etc. from foreign sources: Germany' [220v] (440/1035)
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.
■■■■■■■■■■ I
The Government of India deal with the question with their
usual dilatoriness in their letter of 19th February and
explain that they are precluded under the terms of their
existing arrangement with Messrs.Vickers from manufacturing
these guns in their own ordnance factories except for use
by their own troops. I understand that the Government of y
<\
India have recently sought from Messrs.Vickers^relaxation
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of their agreement in this respect but t-hat Mcssi a. Vickers
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Urks>
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hav-e refuood to permit the Government of-Ind-ia to supply j (w,JV.o.
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border States, such as Afghanistan and Nepal$7without a
. fa.
u
special arrangement being reached with them in each case.
I also understand that the Vickers gun is not used in the
British Army so the War Office will not be able to help.
4. The Government of India say that if it will be of
any assistance to the Afghan Government they would be
prepared to make the necessary arrangements with Messrs.
Vickers for the supply of machine guns to the Afghan
Government. We know, however, that an approach has been
made on behalf of the Afghan Government to Messrs.Vickers
direct in respect of machine guns, and it seems best if the
Afghans continue to negotiate direct with Vickers, at any
rate at this stage. For the Government of India to come
in as an intermediary might encourage the Afghans to make
an embarrassing request for credit facilities which, in
view of the many contingent liabilities which it will be
necessary to place upon the Afghan Reserve Fund in its
early years, v/e probably could not give. A draft
telegram to Kabul is suggested.
5. In Foreign Office letter of the 15th February to
Vickers it was suggested that Colonel Kinsman should call
at the Foreign Office. It is perhaps desirable that this
invitation should be repeated in order that he might be
told of the recent developnents regarding the mountain
guns/
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
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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