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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 [‎22r] (43/460)

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. .

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MINUTE
Reference tcl©£ra3 from Viceroy,Foreign Dent,
dated let July i9I8.
In this telegram reference i« made to the 0-in*C
hajjing naked Ceneral l'are hall < not the Reeident at
Puahire) whether Dynaterville* s force could deemtoh
n contingent in cars to the relief of our noata* ve
have examined thin here and have come to the same con
clusion as Oenern] Marshall,in the telegram that I saw
from him thia mominf f I O.X9927 of 1st July,viz., that
it if. not a practicable rronosition. The cars will
have to carry so much arirnunition,petrol,and food,that
there will bo -no room for fic^ling
"he latter p t art of th^* telegram refers to the
ntepe in the ’oolitical direction that are proposed.
In this connection it is fortunate that the telegram
347 of the £9th June had been sent before this out
break was reported here. It is understood that a
telegram has gone to our Minister at Teheran giving
him what is virtually a free hand in political nego
tiations to conciliate and secure the good offices
of the Farsian Govt.with a view to obtaining their
assistance in quelling the disturbances which have
led to the isolation of our military posts. I would,
however,urge that at the same time the Persian Govt.
.
should be given a very solemn warning that if it
either cannot or will not bestir itself on our behalf
in this matter,and in spite of our conciliatory en
deavour, the inevitable result will be that we shall
have to occupy such portions of Persia as the military
situation demands either without a declaration of war
or after a declaration of war,and that,though we are
not in a position for various reasons to undertake

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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.

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English in Latin script
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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 [‎22r] (43/460), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/5/806, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100093239022.0x00002c> [accessed 3 January 2025]

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