Catalogue description Commonwealth Office: Office of the British Special Representative

This series contains reports and correspondence relating to the duties of Malcolm MacDonald while in post as the Special Representative in East and Central Africa. His role gave him specific responsibility coordinating British policy concerning the five independent countries in the region: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi and Zambia. The files also cover additional countries in the region.

The subject matter of the files includes relationships between African countries and between those countries and the UK, economic affairs in the individual countries, diplomatic relations and in particular, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and the British handling of Ian Smith’s Rhodesian Front Unilateral Declaration of Independence and the effect of this on East and Central African countries.

The files show the formulation of UK foreign policy towards East and Central African countries between 1966-1968, a particularly important time given the Rhodesian Unilateral Declaration of Independence and subsequent economic sanctions and conflict, and the gaining of independence from the UK in the early 1960s by African countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi and Zambia.

The files cover the period 1966-1968, although the Office of the Special Representative existed between 1965 and 1969, when Malcolm MacDonald was in post

Commonwealth Relations Office: Central Africa DO 158

Central African Office and Commonwealth Relations Office: Central Africa DO 183

Commonwealth Relations Office and Commonwealth Office: East Africa Departments DO 213

Former Colonial Administrations FCO 141

Commonwealth Office, 1966-1968

Commonwealth Relations Office, 1947-1966

From 2021 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office