Catalogue description Foreign Office, British Middle East Office, and Department of Technical Co-operation, Middle East Development Division: Registered Files

The British Middle East Office was established in 1945, assuming the residual functions of the Middle East Supply Centre and of the minister resident Middle East, and charged with providing expert advice and assistance and co-ordinating measures for the economic and social development of British territories in the area. The Office was responsible to the foreign secretary; its headquarters were originally in Cairo but moved to Beirut in March 1952. From 1976 to 1981, the work of the Division was conducted from Amman.

In July 1961, the Office became the British Middle East Development Division of the newly-formed Department of Technical Co-operation. It was, by this date, wholly concerned with the provision of advice and assistance for the economic and social development of the area, those other functions originally assumed by the British Middle East Office in 1945 having already terminated. The members of the division acted as technical advisers to the department and its successors, and to British missions in the area, on the content and management of Britain's aid programmes. They also provided impartial technical and practical advise on economic and social development to government in the region. Countries covered by the division were Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, the Lebanon, the Gulf States, Saudi Arabia, Aden and the Yemen Arab Republic, Sudan, Syria, Turkey and Egypt. CENTO development projects in Pakistan also came within the division's scope.