Skip to item: of 460
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

Memoranda and papers by General Herbert Vaughan Cox, Military Secretary to the India Office, regarding British military strategy in Central Asia and the Middle East [‎10r] (19/460)

The record is made up of 1 file (223 folios). It was created in 19 Feb 1918-8 Jan 1920. It was written in English. 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. .

Transcription

This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.

Apply page layout

Bolsheviks threaten opposition to German or Turkish
penetration of the Trans-Caucasus,;and the Amir of Bokhara
has been fighting with the Bolsheviks on the Andijan branch
of the Central Asian Railwayo The nett result is that a
state of anarchy exists, and is likely to continue for some
time on the whole line of any Turkish advance towards
Afghanistan 0 The above journey comes to 1400 miles by
land and sea 8 through country known to be in a state of
anarchy and confusion,wnere resistance of some kind would
certainly be met with,and great difficulty will oe found in
utilizing the meagre local resourceso Sven supposing all
went well 9 such a brigade could not,if started now,arrive on
the Afghan frontier before June,that is to say s in the middle
of the hottest and driest time of the year 0 Nor is it at all
likely that the Germans would push forward such a force so
far unless they had arranged to follow it up with at least
two DivisionSoThis last would be quite out of the question
before the winter, so that it would appear that the only
danger to India until next cold weather lies in the fact that
there is little or nothing to stop small parties of German
and Turkish agents from reaching the Afghan frontier during
the coming summer and working through that country (if
permitted by the Amir) towards our border e spreading the rumour
that a Turco-German Army is comingo
3 0 After nearly four years of loyalty to his engagements
to us and with the knowledge of what we have been able to
do in Mesopotamia and are doing in India, it seems unlikely
that the Amir will turn his coat at the bidding of a few
agents or even ©f small parties of armed mens so that his
loyalty can be counted upon for at least another 8 or 10
monthSo The same cannot be said of our North-West frontier Region of British India bordering Afghanistan.
which may blaze into trouble at any time and almost at the
bidding of anybody 0
4 0 I agree with the C-in-C that the route Kushk to
Kandahar towards Quetta is the most likely one for any
real attack But this again presupposes an unrestricted use
of the railway from the Caspian^and we should endeavour by
every

About this item

Content

The file chiefly comprises typescript and some manuscript copies of letters, memoranda, notes and minutes by General Herbert Vaughan Cox. There are three letters to Cox from external correspondents, some printed memoranda and one cutting from the Morning Post .

Folios 1-2 comprise a list of the file documents, numbered 1-55, including type of document, addressee, date, and normally an indication of the subject. The fifty-five documents are numbered in blue pencil in the top right hand corner of the first page. Note that the contents list is not exhaustive and there are sometimes related documents between those marked with blue pencil. (There is duplication of some memoranda in the file; duplicates contain very minor differences).

The content comprises information, advice and opinions of General Cox to the War Cabinet, War Office and other government and military officers, mainly relating to British military strategy in Afghanistan, Persia [Iran], Trans-Caspia [Central Asia], the Caucasus, Mesopotamia [Iraq] and India, including:

  • Securing British interests in Persia, Afghanistan, the Caspian Sea and British India, against Turco-German threats, prior to the November 1918 Armistice
  • Fall of Baku (in modern Azerbaijan) to Turkish forces in September 1918 and the role of commanding officer Major General Lionel Charles Dunsterville
  • Strategic importance of the Siestan [Sistan] railway (part of the Trans-Baluchistan railway)
  • British policy regarding interests in ‘the East’ at the Paris Peace Conference 1919, notably North West Persia, Mesopotamia, the new republics west of the Caspian Sea, new Armenia, Syria and Palestine
  • The Malleson Mission, led by Major General Sir Wilfrid Malleson, whose role after the Armistice was to protect North East Persia (or Trans-Caspia, modern Turkmenistan), from Bolshevik incursions and influence
  • British military and diplomatic relations with Afghanistan, notably frontiers after the Armistice and following the assassination of Habibullah Khan, the Amir of Afghanistan, in February 1919
  • Turbulent situation in Waziristan, October 1919 and impact on Indian Army
  • Indian Army organization, command, military requirements, training and instruction, and composition
  • Command structure of the British Imperial Army in the East, senior appointments, organization and military requirements.
Extent and format
1 file (223 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the back of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 230; 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. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 79-229; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

Written in
English in Latin script
View the complete information for this record

Use and share this item

Share this item
Cite this item in your research

Memoranda and papers by General Herbert Vaughan Cox, Military Secretary to the India Office, regarding British military strategy in Central Asia and the Middle East [‎10r] (19/460), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/5/806, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100093239022.0x000014> [accessed 3 January 2025]

Link to this item
Embed this item

Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.

<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100093239022.0x000014">Memoranda and papers by General Herbert Vaughan Cox, Military Secretary to the India Office, regarding British military strategy in Central Asia and the Middle East [&lrm;10r] (19/460)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100093239022.0x000014">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000465.0x000300/IOR_L_MIL_5_806_0019.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000465.0x000300/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image