File 1341/1921 Pt 1 'Khorassan Intelligence Summaries 1921-1922' [‎379v] (406/1080)

appendix m.
“ Zhizn Natzionalnosti ”, published in Moscow, October 10th, 1921,
This is the first example of this publication to reach this office. J n a
long article entitled “ Afghanistan ” by V. V. Nizhdanov and reproduced
from the “ Voennaya Muisl ” the author describes the backward state of
Afghanistan’s ways and communications, both road and telegraph, the
former being hardly fit for wheels, which, he says, are only to be found in
use in the vicinity of towns. The development of wheeled transport is not
to be compared with that reached by Khiva and Bokhara. This poverty in
communications hinders the exploitation by the people of the abundance of
local products, such as fruits, etc.
The age old exclusiveness of the Afghans and their consequent fierce
persecution of all foreigners penetrating their frontiers has resulted in not
only the people at large but the representatives of Government having the
most confused ideas of European nations whom they call “ detested
foreigners ” and “ Faringis Therefore it is not surprising that educa
tion in Afghanistan stood and stands at the lowest degree in development
State espionage is rife, and its agents penetrate to the most diverse
places, appearing in private houses, in “ chai khanas ”, in the streets, and
in bazars. They seek to eliminate from Society everyone who is harmful
from the point of view of the State and to hurl their victims into prison.
Latterly, Afghanistan has opened its Consulates in Askhabad and Old
Bokhara, or in other words has expanded its national representation. At
the same time the opening of Russian Consulates in Afghanistan, elsewhere
than where they at present exist is expected. This measure must certainly
have a colossal significance for Russian trade in'view of the Anglo-Russian
trade agreement.
The writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. adverts to the question of innovations in the Afghan Army.
He considers that the most important move has been the rapprochement of
the Afghan Government to Turkey and the request for instructors to reorga
nize the army.
The army in its present state was proved by the Anglo-Afghan war to
be totally inefficient. Only partially armed with magazine rifles, having a
limited number of cartridges, an almost total absence of modern artillery
and of a responsible corps of officers and non-commissioned officers, the
Afghan troops when opposed to the English frontier units began to sustain
defeat after defeat, and at the moment when the English transferred the
whole of the centre of gravity of their military effort to the air, defeating by
aeroplanes without loss to themselves the troops of the Amir, destroying
frontier posts and towns and scattering the fanatical minded people by
bombs filled with suffocating gases—when aeroplanes appear over the
capital, Kabul, hurling down several sections of it with aerial bombs, the
fate of the campaign was sealed and the Afghan Government began to talk
of peace. Moreover, the public mind appeared to be disaffected towards
further bloodshed. The merchant class was foremost in this for goods were
rotting for want of an outlet while the Amir’s revenue was beginning to
shrink owing to curtailed receipts in the Customs.
The arrival of the British Mission at Kabul gave the Amir the opportu
nity to ventilate a whole series of economic questions which had been forced
into prominence by the late war. This latter had proved sufficiently clearly
that Afghanistan could in no way continue in its former state of existence.
The author here goes into the question of the dependence of Afghani
stan on India in the matter of the supply of two of her chief necessanes-
sugar and tea. He concludes that the Afghans are now aware that where at
one time they depended on India and the Anglo-Indians they must now loot
to their northern neighbour.
The question of the reorganization of the army is again adverted to-
The influence of Nadir Khan who is. close to the person of the Amir shou
be noted. He has taken advantage of the presence in Kabul of Jamal Las
to draw up a scheme of army reorganization.. To bring it into being te