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Coll 7/23 'Afghanistan: sale of 5000 rifles with 3 million rounds of ammunition to the Afghan Government by the Government of India, 1935' [62r] (123/681)
The record is made up of 1 file (338 folios). It was created in 23 Apr 1934-13 Jul 1938. 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.
Despatch from His Majesty’s Minister, Kabul, to His Majesty’s
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, London, No. 118, dated
the 22nd (received 30th) October, 1935.
In my telegram (K atodo n 80) of 5th August, 1935, I reported the arri
val in Kabul of the consignment of 5,000 rifles with 3,000,000 rounds of
small arms ammunition which the Afghan Government have purchased
from His Majesty’s Government. During the ensuing ten days Lieut.-
Colonel Lockhart, Military Attache to this Legation, was occupied in un
packing the consignment, in checking rifles, bolts, etc., and in handing over
complete units to the Afghan authorities for issue before the Jashan parade.
Certain units which appeared defective were put aside for further inspec
tion, and I have now received Colonel Lockhart’s final report on the handing
over of the consignment. This report, together with the report of the
Afghan board when received, will be forwarded to the Government of India
with the request that such deficiencies as have been found may be made
good. I need only mention here one or two points of interest connected
with the transaction.
2. I have referred above to certain deficiencies in the consignment.
These are on the whole very few, and Colonel Lockhart has drawn attention
to the excellence of the packing, and of the general arrangements for the
despatch and delivery of the consignment at Landi Kotal at very short
notice and at the hottest time of the year. I would beg leave to endorse
these remarks. At the parade on August 16th, I was warmly thanked by
the Afghan Ministers for the efforts which had been made to deliver the
consignment in time for the Jashan, and wa& assured that the effect of this
increase in the armament of t-he Afghan army was welcome and timely.:
The credit for this belongs entirely to the military authorities in India.
3. In regard to the Afghan share in transpouting the consignment
Colonel Lockhart reports that their arrangements were very good, and my
past experience of such transactions makes it clear that there has been a
marked improvement in this respect. It was not possible to give the
authorities in Kabul very much notice, but one hundred lorries, of which
fiftv were hired, arrived punctually at Landi Kotal and left within a few
hours for Kabul. The convoy was well handled and controlled, and reached
Kabul without mishap in the evening of the following day.
4. As regards payment for the consignment I was authorised in your
telegram of 2nd August (Forminka 86) to negotiate by an exchange of letters
for equal annual instalments over a period of six years to cover the total
cost of Rs. 8,03,000 (Indian). These payments were to be free of interest.
I now forward, as enclosures to this despatch a copy of my letter to the
Foreign Minister, and a translation of his reply. It will be interesting to
see whether the Afghan Government will fulfill their obligations. I have
no doubt that they intend to do so, and indeed the Prime Minister has
informed me that £100,000 has been set aside in the Military budget for
the express purpose of paying for these and other munitions they wish to
buv from His Majesty’s Government. I ventured to suggest to His High
ness that while His Majesty’s Government did not doubt his will to pay,
a certain scepticism as to his power to do so was perhaps not unjustified, in
view of what he had told my predecessor and myself about Afghanistan’s
financial position.
5. A copy of this despatch is being forwarded to the Secretary of State
for India and to the Government of India.
About this item
- Content
The file contains correspondence and minutes regarding requests by the Afghan Government for arms, ammunition and aircraft to be supplied by either the British or Indian Governments. The material predominantly consists of telegrams sent to 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. by HM Minister at Kabul (William Kerr Fraser-Tytler), and the Government of India Foreign and Political Department, regarding the following:
- an initial request from the Afghan Government to be supplied with arms and ammunition, with the aim of strengthening the Afghan army, and thereby convincing the frontier tribes to disarm;
- requests for British and Indian assistance in defending the northern road from a possible Russian advance against Afghanistan;
- Afghan concerns over the loss of arms, particularly .303 calibre rifles, to tribes in the southern and eastern regions, and their enquiries into the possibility of purchasing a different calibre of rifle and ammunition;
- Afghan policy towards the Soviet Union;
- Afghan policy towards Britain and the Government of India;
- the policies of Britain and India towards Afghanistan, and the need to ensure an independent and stable Afghanistan for the security of India.
The file also includes correspondence between HM Minister Kabul, the Government of India Foreign and Political Department, 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 and the War Office, regarding: the quantities and calibres of arms and ammunition to be supplied; the division of costs and liability between the Governments of Britain and India; and payment options for the Afghan Government.
The correspondence ends following the delivery of 5,000 rifles and three million rounds of ammunition, in time for the start of the Jashan festival. At this point the Afghan Government were negotiating for a further supply of 10,000 rifles and ammunition; this request is documented in the file IOR/L/PS/12/2203.
The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the end of the correspondence (folio 1).
- Extent and format
- 1 file (338 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 339; 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
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Coll 7/23 'Afghanistan: sale of 5000 rifles with 3 million rounds of ammunition to the Afghan Government by the Government of India, 1935' [62r] (123/681), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2191, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100057535581.0x00007e> [accessed 14 May 2024]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2191
- Title
- Coll 7/23 'Afghanistan: sale of 5000 rifles with 3 million rounds of ammunition to the Afghan Government by the Government of India, 1935'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:36v, 46r:62r, 63r:98v, 100r:292v, 293ar:293av, 293r:316v, 319r:339v, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence