Committee on the Home Administration of Indian Affairs (Crewe Committee)

This series contains some of the unpublished written evidence collected by the Committee in the form of memoranda, notes and reports, the unpublished minutes of evidence, minutes of the meetings of the Committee, and papers regarding the report of the Committee

The Committee on the Home Administration of Indian Affairs, also known as the Committee on India Office Organisation, was appointed to enquire into the organisation of the India Office and the relations between the Secretary of State in Council and the Government of India. It consisted of the Marquess of Crewe (Chairman), His Highness The Aga Khan, Viscount Esher, B.N. Basu, Sir J.B. Brunyate, Sir Godfrey Collins, Harry Gosling, Professor A. Berriedale Keith, Sir Evelyn Murray and Major the Hon. W.G.A. Ormsby-Gore. The Secretary to the Committee was W.R. Gourlay, Private Secretary to the Governor of Bengal, assisted by S.K. Brown of the India Office. The Committee was one of three committees appointed to work out the details of the principals laid down by the Joint Montagu-Chelmsford Report, published in July 1918, which recommended that steps should be taken to give some measure of responsibility to popular representatives in the Provinces of India. The other two committees were the Franchise Committee and the Functions Committee, both headed by Lord Southborough. The Crewe Committee met for the first time on 5 March 1919 in the India Office, Whitehall, London. In total it held 33 meetings and examined 20 witnesses. Its report was signed on 21 June 1919 and published the same year.

The series has been arranged into the following six sub-series: Q/7/1 Papers on the organisation and work of the Committee; Q/7/2 Notes and memoranda written by members of the Committee; Q/7/3 Notes and memoranda written by witnesses; Q/7/4 Proceedings and Minutes of Evidence; Q/7/5 Papers relating to the Report of the Committee; Q/7/6 Other papers

Unrestricted

The Report of the Committee can be found at IOR/V/4/SESSION 1919 VOL 20. Copies of the unpublished confidential minutes of evidence can be found in the Official Publications at IOR/V/26/220/19, and in the Papers of Sir John Gilbert Laithwaite at Mss Eur F138/10. Further papers on the Committee can be found in the Judicial & Public Department Reform Papers at IOR/L/PJ/9/2 File 101/19, IOR/L/PJ/9/7 File 241/19 (including a copy of the Report), IOR/L/PJ/9/9 File 316/19 and IOR/L/PJ/9/12 File 520/20, and in the Papers of 1st Baron Meston at Mss Eur F136/27.

Report of the Committee appointed by the Secretary of State for India to enquire into the Home Administration of Indian Affairs (London: HMSO, 1919)