Catalogue description Records of the Economic and Aid Divisions of the Commonwealth Relations Office and Commonwealth Office

When the Commonwealth Relations Office was created, its Economic Division kept the old Dominions Office structure of four numbered departments, I to IV, dealing respectively with trade with the Commonwealth, raw materials, Commonwealth finances and food aid and development. In 1951, the departments were renamed as the Trade Department, the Raw Materials Department, the Oversea Finance Department and the Food and Development Department. In 1952, the Food and Development Department was renamed the Development Department, and the Raw Materials Department was renamed the Commodities Department. Their basic functions and areas of responsibility were unaltered.

In 1955 the distribution of functions between the four departments was recast to give the Office a better ability to formulate broad economic policy for the whole Commonwealth, instead of different aspects of the policy being dealt with in isolation by different departments. A general Economic Division was formed to co-ordinate economic policy relations throughout the Commonwealth. The Development Department was renamed the Colombo Plan Department, reflecting the increasingly dominant role in development work played by the Plan compared to development work carried out under the old Development and Welfare Acts.

Remaining functions dealing with trade, finance and raw materials in individual countries were carried out by two numbered departments, the Economic Relations Departments I and II. In 1960 the Colombo Plan Department was renamed the Technical Assistance Department, and in July 1961 the department and its staff were merged into the newly formed Department of Technical Co-operation.

In 1964, the Economic Division was abolished, in line with the increasing trend for matters within the Office to be dealt with by geographical departments, rather than general ones, as more and more former colonies gained independence and joined the Commonwealth. One geographical economic department had already been established while the Economic Division continued; the Africa Economic Department in the Africa and Political Division, set up in 1962. Now two more economic departments were established: the Malawi and Central Africa Economic Department in the Central Africa Division; the East Africa Economic Department in the East Africa Division.

These departments replaced the former Economic Policy Department, together with further geographical economic departments that comprised part of the general successor Divisions to the former Economic Relations Departments, the Aid Division and the Trade Division. The Aid Division consisted of the Asia Economic Department, the Atlantic Department and the Development and Financial Policy and West Africa Economic Department. The Trade Division consisted of the Communications Department (A) (Department (B) forming part of the Mediterranean, South Asia and Defence Division), the Commercial Policy Department and the Western Economic Department.

This arrangement lasted only until September 1965, when the divisions and departments of the Office were again recast. The Trade Division continued, but its departments were altered. While the Western Economic Department continued, the Communications Departments and the Commercial Policy Department ceased to exist. Instead the Division now contained an Economic General Department, and a General and Migration Department.

The Aid Division disappeared, and its departments were distributed to other divisions: the Asia Economic Department and the Atlantic Department to the newly formed Asia and Atlantic Division, while the new East and West Africa Division included a unified Development Policy and West and East Africa Economic Department.

This arrangement of departments remained in place until the merger of the Commonwealth Relations Office with the Colonial Office to form the new Commonwealth Office in 1966.