Cabinet Office and predecessors: Registered Files (1916 to 1965)

CAB 21

1904-1973

This series contains a selection of registered files on various matters dealt with by the War Cabinet, the Cabinet and the Committee of Imperial Defence (post First World War). They include files relating to the machinery of the Cabinet, its committees, and the establishment and work of the Secretariat. There are files concerned with the Reconstruction Committee, the Ministry of Reconstruction, the Supreme War Council during the First World War, and various International Conferences. Some of the files relating to the Peace Conference (1919 to 1920) are those of the Paris Office of the War Cabinet. There are also files of Prime Minister's minutes dating from Atlee's tenure (1945-1951), and files concerning the formation of the Ministry of Health (CAB 21/72) and the Ministry of Materials: CAB 21/2271

Selected records within this series are available to download as digital microfilm.

Files for the period 1916-1936 (CAB 21/1-450) are arranged chronologically according to the latest paper. The remainder of the files, which were allocated subject file codes (numerical) from 1937 to 1965, are predominantly arranged by the original numerical sequence of the creating body.

For correspondence and papers of the Secretariat of the CID during the period 1902-1918 see CAB 17

Some pieces in this class originally contained NATO documents, which were extracted and replaced with dummy cards when the pieces were transferred to the PRO. The dummy cards state that the extracted documents are retained by the Cabinet Office. With the agreement of the PRO, these extracted NATO documents were destroyed by the Cabinet Office in May 2001. Researchers wishing to seek access to extracted documents should apply to the NATO Archives in Brussels.

Public Record(s)

English

6083 file(s)

Subject to 30 year closure unless otherwise stated

Available in digital format unless otherwise stated

from 1964 Cabinet Office

Topics

International

Conflict

Operations, battles and campaigns

1916-1965; This Cabinet Office Main Registry series was closed at the end of 1965, although papers continued to be added to some existing files until 1973.

Series closed. Later files are in CAB 164.