Catalogue description War Office: Directorate of Military Operations and Military Intelligence, and predecessors: Correspondence and Papers

Correspondence and papers of the Directorate of Military Operations and Intelligence relating to various theatres of war including the First and Second World Wars, and to administration, defence and other problems in Europe, America, Africa and Asia. They are mostly of a later date than 1870.

The series also contains defence and operational plans from 1896 for all areas; out-letters of the Director of Military Operations, 1891 to 1893; in- and out-letters of the Director of Military Operations, 1910 to 1912; daily diaries of the Director of Military Operations and Intelligence, 1921 and 1923, and registers forming indexes to information on foreign countries, 1875 to 1886; papers of Lt General Sir George Macdonagh, Director of Military Intelligence, 1916 to 1918; and papers relating to India and the Baltic States between the Wars and to the Spanish Civil War. There are also notes and press cuttings and annual reports by military attachés.

For files of the tri-service Defence Intelligence Staff see DEFE 31

For the papers of Sir John Ardagh, Director of Military Intelligence, 1896 to 1901, see PRO 30/40

Some material was removed from files in this series to WO 160

War Department, Topographical Department, 1855-1857

War Office, Directorate of Military Intelligence, 1915-1922

War Office, Directorate of Military Operations, 1904-1922

War Office, Directorate of Military Operations, 1943-1964

War Office, Directorate of Military Operations and Intelligence, 1922-1939

War Office, Directorate of Military Operations and Plans, 1939-1943

War Office, Directorate of Plans, 1943-1964

War Office, Intelligence Branch, 1873-1888

War Office, Military Intelligence and Mobilization Department, 1901-1904

War Office, Military Intelligence Division, 1888-1901

War Office, Topographical Department, 1857-1873

from 2008 Ministry of Defence

from 1968 War Office

There is a selective places index in the reading rooms at The National Archives, Kew. Where possible, entries are made under individual countries or topographical regions. However, files dealing with broader areas are entered under more general headings.