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ANNEX III.
DRAFT TELEGRAM from Secretary of State to Government of India, External Affairs Department. repeated to Kabul.
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Forminka. Kabul.
Addressed by Secretary of State for India to Government of India and repeated to Kabul. Your telegram No. 6271 of 9th November. Routes in Afghanistan. H.M. G. fully appreciate difficulties mentioned in your telegram and have no intention of making far-reaching demand, or indeed any demand of Afghan Government in regard to developinent of supply routes. They are not however convinced that there need necessarily be permanent and insuperable obstacle in way of making use at any rate of ordinary Afghan facilities for transit of goods to Russia. It is not long since Afghan Gover ment applied to H.M.G, for assistance in developing their trade routes, and it seems not unlikely that they may approach us again in due course (eg: they will presumably no wish to leave Helmand Bridge at Girishk in its present finished state). The best method of approaching this delicate subject might therefore be to do so gradually under cover of stimulating Indo-Afghan and Russo- Afghan trade and providing outlet for surplus Afghan products such as wool, cotton and dried fruit, U.K,C.C. might be considered in this connection (see
Possibility of using correspondence resting with Katodon No. 289 of 29th August). A start might than be made by sending a small quantity of non- military supplies from India to Afghanistan and thence to Russia under arrangements reached through suitable private transport agencies in India in conjunction with Afghan lorry owners, It is of course recognised that Afghan route would be out of question for supply of munitions, but the carriage of other goods, e. g. jute or rubber, via Afghanistan would relieve congestion on Persian routes.
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I would emphasise, however, that in view especially of political difficulties, H.M. G. are under no illusions that Afghan routes could be used for transport or any considerable quantity of supplies to Russia at any rate in the near future, (incidentally estimate of potential capacity given in first sentence of paragraph 3 of your telegram conflicts with statement in Katodon 285 that additional 1000 1500 tons
a month could be sent over each of Afghan Coutes even in their present state). In view, therefore, of your objections, and subject to any comments which H.M.Minister at Kabul may wish to make, H.M.G. are quite prepared at present to leave whole question for reconsideration in light of future developments in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
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