Correspondence between Sydney Haldane Olivier, Baron Olivier (1859-1943), civil servant, politician, and author, and C.P. Scott and E.T. Scott, relating to a request by Olivier for the Manchester Guardian to fund a visit to India, with an offer to send articles for publication on Indian politics, and an intention to carry out research for a book in India. The request to fund a visit is declined, but a series of articles by Olivier on India are accepted, with discussion of content, length, and payment. There is also an offer of an article by Olivier on the proposal to abandon public accounts by the army council, which is accepted, and a suggestion that the Manchester Guardian review an article on the subject by Sir John Keane, army officer, in the Edinburgh [Review?], which is approved.
There are thanks from Olivier for a review of his book, The Anatomy of African Misery, in the Manchester Guardian, with discussion of the review, the subject of the book, and its reception. There is reference to the provision by Olivier of a letter on the situation in South Africa from [William Miller] Macmillan, historian, and an offer to write a notice of Macmillan's book, [The Cape Colour Question] for the Manchester Guardian, which is accepted. There is a request for support from the Manchester Guardian for a debate to be raised by Olivier in the House of Lords on East African policy, and discussion of the situation in Africa, with reference to South Africa, Kenya, Tanganyika, and South Rhodesia, with an offer to write articles on the subject for the Manchester Guardian. The offer is accepted; with clarification that they should relate only to the position of natives in African territories for which Britain is responsible.
There is discussion of a response by Olivier to a letter from Lajos Lederer, journalist, relating to a statement by Olivier on the position of Hungary, and reference to Olivier's experiences on a visit to Geneva, with discussion of the League of Nations. There is a request for a commentary from Olivier on [the Hilton Young Report], for publication in the Manchester Guardian, which is granted, and an offer to write a commentary on the reports of [Sir Samuel] Wilson [on his visit to East Africa], which is accepted, and accompanied by a related internal memorandum.
There is an offer by Olivier of articles from a tour of West India to investigate sugar, which are accepted is interesting subjects are presented. There is an offer by Olivier of an article by George Lowther Steer, journalist and army intelligence officer, with discussion of Steer, and of South Africa, which is accepted, in a shortened form. There is also an offer of a series of articles on the conflict between banana growers and the United Fruit Company in Jamaica, and on the Jamaica Banana Producers Co-operative Association, which are declined, though a single short article is accepted. There is discussion of Olivier's visit to the West Indies, and the current political situation in Britain. There are offers by Olivier to write a commentary on the report of the East Africa Committee, and on the debate on African land in the House of Lords, which are accepted.