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Coll 7/4 'Afghanistan: purchase of arms from Great Britain' [‎260r] (524/1146)

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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. .

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74.
^pplx oajio fl 5 for the Export of Arras and Munitions to
Afghanistan.
1 . The provisions of the Anglo-Afghan Treaty of
1981 relating to the importation of arms and munitions
into Afghanistan are contained in the latter part of
article 6 and in letters T^gnd II attached to the Treaty.
The relevant texts are given in appendix Uo.l. The
meaning of ^arms and munitions 1 is considered in paragraph
12 .
2. although these provisions allow His Majesty’s
G-overnment in certain circumstances to detain arms passing
through India or through British ports on their way
Afghanistan, His Majesty’s Government are for all
practical purposes under a treaty obligation to leu uhe
Afghan Government import without hindrance or leotriction
whatever arms it desires.
3. With regard to the supply of arms from this
country, me effect of the Treaty is not equally clear,
but His Majesty's Government are in any case under no
obligation to sell arms and they can always bring pressure
bear in order to stop private firms from doing so. It
is, however, desirable on military and commercial grounds
that if the Afghan Government purchase arms at all they
shall purchase them in this .Country or
essential on political grounds that His Majesty's
„ . nractice do nothing to give the
Government snail iu pi^coxoc
impression that they desire to prevent the .fghan
Government from acquiring arms in any quuntity.it
-t-upr-pfore with the possible
pleases. Here again, therefore,
j. t-. q «r* o ui red f i 1 ony
exception of arms which Co - I - n 0
r .^o+v-ts Government have for all
other source, His Majesty
-i tpriv tive but to let the Afghan
practical purposes no olten.^ Gover^nent

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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' [‎260r] (524/1146), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2173, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100056050957.0x00007d> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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