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File 1355/1917 Pt 6 'Arms Traffic Convention: revised convention, 1925' [‎477r] (960/1226)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (609 folios). It was created in 19 Feb 1925-29 Apr 1926. 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. .

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Bft-fgn. ffi-B
11
Why did we sign ? It was because to do so was in conformity with our age-long
traditions, with our will for peace, with our desire for good relations with other
countries. We signed from a spirit of love for our neighbours, and from our desire
for universal and pacific collaboration.
We did not only sign that convention; we ratified it. We did so because we had
4 >en the war of 1905, which devastated the territories of the Far East. We had
ijeen helpless spectators of that struggle. Again, we were witnesses of all the horrors
and devastation wrought by the European war, and the slaughter and bloodshed in
which it steeped a whole continent. These questions touched us very closely, and
we realise that all those wars were waged by means of arms, and that those arms are
constantly undergoing technical improvements and developments which will lead to
their eventually resulting in the universal destruction of the human race.
We are not here to encourage the production of those arms, but, it may be said,
are we here to prevent that production ? That is not the case. The question of
manufacture does not come within our purview. We are here simply to deal with
the question of control, and not even the control of the use of these arms; that also
would be going too far at the present stage, and we have to move by gradual stages.
We have simply to deal with the question of the control of the traffic in those arms.
The Chinese nation fully realises the danger of this traffic. It is a traffic from
which China has had to suffer; it is a traffic which has been imposed on the Chinese
nation. Therefore, from their sincere love of peace, from their sincere desire for
closer relations with their neighbours, the Chinese people wish this conference
success in producing a universal convention which will be wider than the Conven
tion of Saint-Germain, and which will establish, if I may use the expression, a
censorship of this traffic in arms
The Convention of Saint-Germain, though we have been told it is very limited
in its scope, was not, as a matter of fact, always observed by certain countries. I do
not desire to emphasise that question. I trust, indeed, that nothing that will occur
during the course of the debates before us will give me any reason to return to it.
On the contrary, I desire that we should all co-operate in this discussion with the
object of obtaining a universal convention which will satisfy the aspirations of the
whole world. (A pplause .)
THE PRESIDENT (translation) : I think it will be convenient for us to
adjourn now. We will meet again at 10-30 a.m. precisely to-morrow, when the first
item on our agenda will be the election of the seven members who are to constitute
the bureau.
The general discussion will then be continued.
[The conference adjourned at 6-30 p.m. until to-morrow (Wednesday, the §th May)
at 10-30 a.m.)
o

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Content

The papers in this volume relate to the revised international Arms Traffic Convention (1925).

The papers include: The right to supply munitions to the governments of Afghanistan, Nepal and Tibet should they fall within the ‘prohibited zone’, 11 December 1924; the preference for including all countries bordering India (except Siam) in the prohibited zone should Russia decide to adopt the Convention, and potential British support for Persia’s claim to exclusion from the zone should Russia decide to reject the Convention, 3 February 1925; the exclusion of Persia and Afghanistan from the prohibited zone, and possible arrangement of imports through Bushire [Bushehr], Mohammerah [Khorramshahr] and Karachi, 18 February-12 March 1925; the proposed abandonment of the term ‘prohibited’ areas to induce Turkey and Persia to join the Convention, and empowerment of the governments of the countries bordering India, 24 March 1925; the readiness of HMG Her or His Majesty’s Government in London. to support Persia’s request for exclusion from the prohibited zone in order to ensure the strict regulation of the private arms trade from Russia to India via Persia, 5-11 April 1925; the Government of India’s objections to Article 25 of the Convention, 11-30 April 1925; the Conference on Supervision of the International Trade in Arms and Ammunition, Geneva, 6 May-17 June 1925; the report on the proceedings of the Inter-Departmental Committee assembled to consider the draft Convention for Control of the Trade in Arms, Ammunition and Implements of War produced by the Temporary Mixed Commission of the League of Nations, with annexes including drafts of the Convention by the Temporary Mixed Commission and the Inter-Departmental Committee, and a minute by the Secretary of State on the Arms Traffic Conference, 23-28 April 1925; the protocol on the use of asphyxiating, poisonous and other gases in times of war, 20 May-14 June 1925; the list of countries designated as ‘special zones’ in the Arms Traffic Convention, 25-27 May 1925; the proposal of the Persian delegate Mīrzā A title of honour originally applied to princes, later to military leaders, and later still to secretaries, chieftains, and other ‘gentlemen’. Reżā Khan Arfaʿ al-Dawla, 29 May-6 June 1925; the nomination of a Jurist Committee by the Bureau for the purpose of determining the status of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. in international law as the best means of dealing with the Persian delegation, 4-11 June 1925; the Persian amendment to the second paragraph of Article 15 of the Convention, 8-9 June 1925; the protest of the High Commissioner for Iraq at the inclusion of the country in a special zone, 8-25 June 1925; the vote on the inclusion of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and Gulf of Oman as special zones, 11-15 June 1925; the declaration on the manufacture of arms, ammunition and implements of war, 8 June 1925; the general report on the League of Nations’ Conference for the Supervision of the International Trade in Arms and Ammunition and in Implements of War, including the texts of the Convention, Statement regarding the Territory of Ifni, Protocol on Chemical and Bacteriological Warfare, Protocol of Signature, and the Final Act, dated at Geneva, 14 June 1925 (texts in French and English); the statement of Sir Percy Cox on the Persian arguments concerning maritime zones, and the response of the Persian delegate General Habibullah Khan [Ḥabib Allāh Khan Shāybanī], 15 June 1925-28 January 1926; the inspection of ships at Indian ports and interception of arms bound for China, 22 October 1925-29 April 1926.

The volume also includes a decree by the Shah of Persia, Muẓaffar al-Dīn Shāh Qājār against arms trafficking, signed on his behalf by the Ṣadr-i Aʿẓam, Mīrzā A title of honour originally applied to princes, later to military leaders, and later still to secretaries, chieftains, and other ‘gentlemen’. ʻAlī Aṣghar Khān Amīn al-Sulṭān, dated 1 January 1900 (in French).

The correspondence in this volume is primarily between the Viceroy, Foreign and Political Department; Secretary of State for India; Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; Under-Secretary of State, 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. ; the Admiralty; Richard William Alan Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow; HM Consul Geneva; War Office; Foreign Office; 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. ; Colonial Office; Sir Percy Zachariah Cox; Sir Frederic Arthur Hirtzel; Secretary of State for the Colonies.

Extent and format
1 volume (609 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume. The subject 1355 (Peace Settlement: The Arms Traffic Convention 1919) consists of four volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/672-675. The volumes are divided into 6 parts; with part 1 comprising one volume, parts 2, 4 and 5 comprising the second volume, part 3 comprising the third volume, and part 6 comprising the fourth volume.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 610; 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. The file has one foliation anomaly, f 242a.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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File 1355/1917 Pt 6 'Arms Traffic Convention: revised convention, 1925' [‎477r] (960/1226), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/675, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100081597305.0x0000a1> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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