Minutes and the Man: J.E.W. Flood and British Imperial Economic Policy at the Colonial Office in the Interwar Years

Abstract Archival sources, especially correspondence between officials, have been critical to the reconstruction of the history of colonial territories. Minutes, confidential comments that informed the decisions transmitted in official correspondence (known as dispatches), though important, are often neglected. This paper highlights the value of minutes and demonstrates their optimal utilization through the lens of the career of J.E.W. Flood, a prolific middle level career officer at the Colonial Office. His minutes on various issues across the interwar period shed light on the undercurrents and debates among officials at Whitehall that shaped aspects of British imperial economic policy during the period.