IOR/L/PS/12/2191

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 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 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).