Order issued by the British Minister at Tehran, Charles Alison, instructing Pelly to return to India overland from Persia through Afghanistan.The letter instructs Pelly on the British Government's preferred route for him through Meshed [Mashhad], Herat and Cabul [Kabul], weather permitting, and encloses fowling pieces and pistols to be presented as gifts Sultan Ahmed Khan [Soltan Ahmad Khan] of Herat and correspondence and friendly assurances to be given on behalf of the British Government to Dost Mahomed Khan [Dost Mohammad Khan] of Cabul.The letter also instructs Pelly to gather reliable information on the Persian expedition to Mero [Marv], and in particular on the state of the Persian Army as well as asking for any practicable information he can obtain on the condition and prospects of Aghanistan as he is passing through it.Alongside the instructions for him when visiting Cabul is a paragraph written in pencil which appears to be a brief outline of the mission order translated into Persian.1 file (6 folios)Foliation: This file has been foliated in the front top right hand corner of each page 1-6, with the folio number in pencil enclosed in a circle
Correspondence, memoranda, maps and other papers relating to the establishment of a precise position of the frontier between Persia [Iran], British Baluchistan [in present-day Pakistan], and Afghanistan, arising in response to the proposed transfer to Persian ownership of the Mirjawa [Mīrjāveh] to Duzdap [Zahedan] stretch of the North Western Railway, and territorial claims made by the Khan of Kalat, Mir Mohammad Azam Jan Khan, and the Persian Government. The volume’s correspondents include: Foreign Office and India Office officials; the British Legation at Tehran (Reginald Hervey Hoare; Charles Dodd); the Government of India (Francis Verner Wylie); the Agent to Governor-General and Chief Commissioner for Baluchistan (Alexander Norman Ley Cater); the British Consul for Sīstān and Kain [Ka’īn] (Clive Kirkpatrick Daly).The correspondence covers:The historical basis for negotiations, being surveys carried out in the 1870s, and a demarcation agreement concluded on 24 March 1896 by Colonel Thomas Hungerford Holdich, later referred to as the Holdich Line. Papers include correspondence from the 1930s in response to uncertainties about the precise position of the line (including extracts of the agreement in Persian), and copies of correspondence from 1895-1896 relating to the conclusion of Holdich’s agreement.Arrangements in 1932 for a joint British and Persian survey party to map the frontier, with Captain Guy Bomford of the Survey of India leading the British party. The results of Bomford’s survey are summarised in a copy of a secret letter, dated 9 June 1932, with accompanying maps (ff 113-119).1 volume (323 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 321; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the two leading and two ending flyleaves.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The file contains correspondence and notes regarding the employment of British nationals by the Government of Afghanistan. It predominantly documents the employment of civil aviation instructors from Hawker Aircraft Limited and Rolls Royce Limited to provide training to the Afghan Air Force. This includes the process of recruiting the instructors, negotiating their terms and conditions, drafting their contracts, renewing their contracts, replacement of staff, and issues arising during the course of their employment. A number of draft contracts can be found within – in some cases both English and Persian language versions of the contract are included.The instructors are employed in connection with the purchase of eight Hawker Hind aircraft in 1937, and correspondence relating to this purchase can also be found within the file. There is also some discussion surrounding the question of policy regarding the employment of British nationals in Afghanistan.The majority of the correspondence is between officials of the Foreign Office (Laurence Collier), the India Office (predominantly Horace Algernon Fraser Rumbold and George Edmond Crombie), HM Minister at Kabul (William Kerr Fraser-Tytler), and the British companies concerned. However, contributions from officials of the Air Ministry, the Afghan Legation in London, and officials of the Government of India have also been filed within.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 file (596 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 596; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The file has one foliation anomaly, f 464A.
The file contains correspondence, contracts (with both English and Persian translation), and notes related to the employment of British nationals from Hawker Aircraft Limited and Rolls Royce Limited with the Afghan Air Force. The file primarily documents the process of recruiting Harry Pearson to replace Derick Wilfred Russell Robinson in 1943. Harry Pearson returned to the United Kingdom (UK) in December 1945, though his expense claims for his return trip are not wrapped up until December 1947 when the file was closed. Letters from Mrs Pearson regarding difficulties in obtaining passage for herself and her child to join her husband in Kabul have also been filed.A small minority of the correspondence documents the employment of Royal Air Force (RAF) personnel with the Afghan Air Force, initially as temporary replacements for, and later in preference to, British civilians.Also included in the file is correspondence related to a case of insubordination by Harold Bradley (b 1901) of Hawkers against Squadron Leader B P King of the RAF on 8 March 1945, which led to the dismissal of Mr Bradley from employment with the Afghan Government. Statements from each individual conveying their version of events can be found on folios 82-83.The main correspondents in the file are as follows: HM Minister in Kabul (Giles Frederick Squire), officials of the India Office, and representatives of the aforementioned British firms. Occasional reference is made to the Government of India.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 file (342 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 343; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The file contains correspondence related to the secondment of Royal Air Force personnel as instructors to the Afghan Air Force. It covers matters such as terms and conditions of employment, travel expenses (including accompanying family members), the recruitment of replacement personnel, and requests from the Afghan Government for the loan of additional personnel. The file also includes copies of the contracts for a number of pilot-instructors employed by the Afghan Air Force: B Wigginton (folios 226-231), B P King (folios 122-126, 136-141, and 152-158), and G F Reid (folios 11-13). The file includes both English and Persian versions of all the aforementioned contracts with the exception of G F Reid, which is only available in English. Folios 92 and 104 outline the qualities that are considered desirable in pilot-instructors sent to Kabul.The main correspondents are as follows: HM Minister at Kabul (William Kerr Fraser-Tytler, Francis Verner Wylie, and Giles Frederick Squire), officials of the Air Ministry, officials of the Foreign Office, officials of the India Office (from August 1947, the Commonwealth Relations Office), and representatives of the External Affairs Department of the Government of India.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 file (346 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 347; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.