Catalogue description Supreme War Council: British Secretariat: Papers and Minutes

Arrangement is by former file reference

The Supreme War Council was set up following a meeting between British, French and Italian representatives at Rapallo, Italy on 7 November 1917. Its purpose was to co-ordinate Allied military action. The Prime Minister, and his French and Italian counterparts attended Council sessions, and they were later joined by representatives from USA and Japan. The Council met eight times in its first year mainly at Versailles. Each government appointed a Permanent Military Representative, who was established with a secretariat at Versailles.

The British section was headed by General Henry Wilson, later by General Rawlinson, and came under the control of the War Cabinet Office. The Representatives received all proposals, information and documents relating to the war from their governments and tendered advice to the Council in the form of joint notes. Inter-Allied Committees were also created by the Military Representatives for Naval Liaison, Aviation, Tanks and Transportation.

The Supreme War Council also created a general reserve for all the armies on the Western, Italian and Balkan Fronts, which was controlled by an Executive Board. This was dissolved on the appointment of General Foch as supreme commander of the allied armies in April 1918. Thereafter the work of the Council was largely confined to matters in the Balkans and Russia.