In a letter dated 5 December 1957 Sir Norman Brook, Secretary of the Cabinet and Perminent Secretary of the Treasury, suggested to all Heads of Home Departments that as a follow up to the conclusion of the Civil Series of the published Official Histories of the war, individual departments should write histories within their departments so as to preserve experience for internal departmental use.
It was felt that these histories would in many cases effect a substantial saving in official time and would be of much benefit to newcomers in post. The Treasury produced thirty historical memoranda between 1957 and 1976 and they span two broad types of topic:
a) Histories of recurring major problems where a concise summary of past practice could help those currently dealing with those problems.
b) Histories of particular episodes which might have long term significance for the department.
The histories listed below have now been released before the normal 30 years to the Public Record Office under Treasury Class T267. To read these histories, you will need to go to:
Public Record Office
Ruskin Avenue
Kew
Richmond
London TW9 4DV
Tel: 0181 876 3444
For further information concerning Treasury records that have been released you should contact:
Barbara Bugden
Departmental Records Officer
HM Treasury
Parliament Street
London
SW1P 3AG
Tel: 0171 270 4372
1. The Treasury and Acts of God Nov 1957
2. The Festival Pleasure Gardens Nov 1957
3. Civil Service Superannuation Jan 1960
4. The Convertibility Crisis of 1947 Dec 1962
5. The Government and Wages 1945-1960 Jul 1962
6. Form of Estimates Feb 1963
7. Long Term Economic Planning 1945-1951 Apr 1964
8. Policy to Control the Level of Demand 1953-1958 Jul 1965
9. A History of Aircraft Purchasing for the Air Corporations Nov 1965
10. Negotiations with the European Economic Community 1961-1963 Apr 1966
11. The Economic and Financial Obligations of the Nationalised Industries White Paper of April 1961 May 1966
12. History of Prescription Charges Sep 1967
13. The Rebuilding of Downing Street and The Old Treasury 1960-1963 Nov 1968
14. Rehousing of the Commonwealth Institute Nov 1968
15. Provincial Differentiation and London Weighting Jan 1969
18. The Control of Demand 1958-1964 Mar 1972
20. The Gold Crisis March 1968 Jan 1975
22. The Control of Demand 1964-1970 Jan 1975
24. Incomes Policy 1961-1964 Sep 1975
26. The Defence Budget 1946-1971 Jan 1976
27. Prices and Incomes Policy April 1968-March 1970 Jan 1976
28. Incomes Policy 1964-1968 Jan 1976
29. Special Study of Incomes Policy Feb 1976
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