[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Lang, you may be right...but the information I have from various papers acquired over the years does suggest that the War Office were responsible for the Indian Army and as regards vehicles, they were to be responsible for payment.

Now, two files come to mind in the National Archives that are of relevance here:

a) A Treasury Exchange Requirements Committee file which relates to providing dollars to pay for the Egyptian Chevrolets.

b) A file relating to vehicles assembled for Afghanistan paid for by the Afghan Government Purchasing Commission inn New York including in 1940-41, which were assembled by Ford and GM of India in Bombay. These were US-sourced and assembled by the respective subsidiaries: Fords were a GM OF CANADA subsidiairy, which itself was only partly-owned by Ford of Dearborn, although GM India was a subsidiary of the New York GM Corporation. This tying-up of assembly capacity, which the companies rigourously defended, rankled the WO and yet nothing could be done. That is until a decisionn was made that all output was required for the war effort, that the Afghans could 'poke it' and be paid for their purchases which would be diverted to the British (for the Indian Army and British Army in India). It rankled that these vehicles were being assembled in Bombay then driven north over the Khyber Pass..and there was concern that German agents were around as well.