TREASURY PAPERS
Series One: Papers of the Economic Section, 1941-1961 (Public Record Office Class T 230)

Part 1: T 230/1-36

"Treasury Papers (T 230) contain essential and basic material which all scholars will want to use for the analysis of post-war economic policy."
Dr Neil Rollings
Department of Economic and Social History
University of Glasgow

The Papers of the Economic Section (Public Record Office Class T 230) provides scholars with an opportunity to see the first instance of Keynesian economic principles being applied to a real economy.

This is a wonderful source for undergraduate and graduate research, which can readily be used in conjunction with printed sources such as: A K Cairncross and N Watts, The Economic Section 1939-1961 (Routledge, 1989), A K Cairncross (ed), The Robert Hall Diaries 1947-1953 (Unwin Hyman, 1989) and S Howson (ed), The Collected Papers of James Meade, vols I to IV (Unwin Hyman, 1988-forthcoming).

Starting in 1941, the British Government employed professional economists to advise on economic policy in a group known as the Economic Section. The first four directors, John Jewkes (Jan-Sept 1941), Lionel Robbins (Sept 1941-Autumn 1945), James Meade (Autumn 1945-April 1947) and Robert Hall (Sept 1947-1961), were ably supported by a range of economists including Marcus Fleming, Bryan Hopkin, Russell Bretherton, A Pigou, Christopher Dow, Fred Atkinson and Jack Downie.

John Maynard Keynes was an important direct and indirect influence on the Economic Section. He commented regularly on Discussion Papers and proposals, helping to clarify the correct application of his ideas to the real economic issues.

Part 1 of this project covers Treasury Class T 230, pieces 1-36. In broad terms the files cover Post-war agricultural policy, post-war civil aviation policy, UK post-war balance of payments, Discussion Papers, Reorganisation of the Coal Industry, Commodity Policy, Regulation of output, Prices and labour absorption during the transitional period from war to peace, Economic controls, and Long-term Cotton problems.

The Discussion Papers form by far the largest section of Part 1 and are of the greatest importance. These are long detailed analyses of particular problems, drawing upon the best available data at the time. Examples include:
Maintenance of full employment by Lionel Robbins
Bilateral trading and British interests by JM Fleming
The iron and steel industry by SR Dennison
Employment and income prospects in the USA JE Meade covering AJ Brown
Nationalization of the coal-mining industry JE Meade covering the Economic Section
International employment policy by JM Fleming
The possible magnitude of a future depression JE Meade covering JCR Dow
The Monnet Plan JE Meade covering D Butt
Estimation du Revenue National Franais JE Meade covering GLS Shackle
Devaluation plus export taxes question RL Hall covering JM Fleming and
E Rowe-Dutton
A customs union between all countries of the Commonwealth...
by JM Forsyth
The balance of payments problem of Western Europe RL Hall covering
T Swan

"The Economic Section was the first group of professional economists to operate full-time as government advisers in Britain. From 1940 onwards they occupied a key role in the making of economic policy and their views carried great weight with successive governments. The papers of the Section are indispensable to an understanding of the thinking behind government policy, especially budgetary policy, and of the evolution of modern economic management."
Sir Alec Cairncross
Former Chancellor, University of Glasgow
and Supernumerary Fellow, St Anthonys College, Oxford
Co-Author The Economic Section, 1939-1961 (London, 1989)