Departmental Papers: Political Internal/Indian States Files and Collections

IOR/L/PS/13

Departmental Papers: Political Internal/Indian States Files and Collections

c 1931-1951

The series is divided into a) Annual Files b) Collections and c) some unregistered files relating to Kashmir.The Annual Files (1931-1941) consist of documents on a single topic, usually disposed of fairly quickly and generally dealing with matters of peripheral or ephemeral interest - the Collections (44 in all - there are no Collections 9, 15, 43-45) alcontain material that was regarded as of greater importance and/or of long-term relevance. The unregistered files relate to Kashmir between 1945 and 1951 and form an appendix to Collection 49.

For registers and indexes to Political (Internal) Annual Files 1931-41 see Z/L/PS/13/1-21; for continuation of Annual Files 1942-1950 see under L/PJ/7 indexed at Z/L/PJ/7/15-35; for register and index to Political (Indian States) Collections 1-48 see Z/L/PJ/8/1, to Collection 49 see Z/L/PJ/7/30. See also Crown Representative's Records: R/1 and R/2.

Public Record(s)

English

Approx.1950 files/volumes

Available for research unless otherwise stated

Up to 1930 the Political Department of the India Office dealt with both the foreign policy of the Government of India (and of Great Britain as it affected India) and with the affairs of the Indian Princely States. From April 1930 these two functions were separated and placed under separate departments - the Political (Internal) Department took over all work relating to the Indian States and also handled questions relating to Honours, while the Political (External) Department dealt with foreign affairs including frontier matters (except where these fell more properly within the jurisdiction of the Political (Internal) or the Public and Judicial Departments), and consular questions. In 1941 the Political (Internal) Department was amalgamated with the Public and Judicial Department to form the Political Department and the Political (External) Department was renamed the External Department. The L/PS/13 Political Collections, as also the L/PS/12 External Files/Collections extend beyond the dissolution of the India Office in 1947 into the first three years of its successor the Commonwealth Relations Office.