Catalogue description Departmental Papers: Political (External) Files and Collections

This record is held by British Library: Asian and African Studies

Details of IOR/L/PS/12
Reference: IOR/L/PS/12
Title: Departmental Papers: Political (External) Files and Collections
Description:

The series is divided into (a) Annual Files, and (b) Collections. The Annual Files (1931-1949) consist of documents on a single topic, usually disposed of fairly quickly and generally dealing with matters of peripheral or ephemeral interest - the Collections (59 in all) contain material that was regarded as of greater importance and/or of long-term relevance.

Date: 1903-1950
Related material:

Political and Secret Memoranda and Library [L/P & S/18 & 20]; for Indexes and Registers: see Z/L/PS/12

Held by: British Library: Asian and African Studies, not available at The National Archives
Language: English
Physical description: 4838 files or volumes
Administrative / biographical background:

Up to 1930 the Political Department of the India Office dealt with both the foreign policy of the Government of India (and of Great Britain as it affected India) and with the affairs of the Indian Princely States. From April 1930 these two functions were separated and placed under separate departments - the Political (Internal) Department took over all work relating to the Indian States and also handled questions relating to Honours, while the Political (External) Department dealt with foreign affairs, including frontier matters (except where these fell more properly within the jurisdiction of the Political (Internal) or the Public and Judicial Departments) and consular questions. In 1941 the Political (Internal) Department was amalgamated with the Public and Judicial Department to form the Political Department and the Political (External) Department was renamed the External Department. On the Transfer of Power in August 1947 the External Department became a department of the Commonwealth Relations Office - it merged with the Political Department in April 1948 but retained its own registry until 1950.

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