Conservative Party Archive: General Director's Office

Table of Contents

Introduction
Broadcasting, 1951-60
By-Elections, 1952-63
Committee to examine the People's League for the Defence of Freedom and the Middle Class Alliance (Mr. Cohen's Committee), 1956-7
Party Organisation and Committee on Reorganisation, 1962-3

Shelfmarks: CCO 120/1-4

Extent: 126 shelfmarks

Organisational History

The post of General Director at Conservative Central Office was created in February 1931 and arose from that of the Principal Agent, a position that dated back to 1885. The General Director was the full-time professional head of Central Office, answerable directly to the Party Chairman. Traditionally raised from the ranks of the agents, he had overall responsibility for the smooth running of the central party machine, although with an emphasis more on organisation and administration than on the publicity side. There were three occupants before the post was abolished by Edward Heath in June 1966: Sir Robert Topping (February 1931-September 1945, and Principal Agent since February 1928), Sir Stephen Piersenne (October 1945-August 1957) and Sir William Urton (August 1957-June 1966). Thereafter the various departmental directors answered directly to the Party Chairman and Vice Chairmen, a policy which was interrupted briefly in 1974 when Heath appointed Michael Wolff as Director General. Wolff, a former assistant to Heath, was removed by Margaret Thatcher when she assumed the leadership in 1975, and the post was again abolished.

Scope and Content

Despite the central position of the General Director in the party organisation between 1931 and 1966 few papers have been kept. The factors determining what has survived have been quite arbitrary, and the collection listed here represents only a small and miscellaneous fraction of the original. In the case of the papers of the 1963 Selwyn Lloyd Enquiry into Party Organisation (CCO 120/4/1-25), moreover, the General Director's Office appears merely to have been used as a depository for papers produced by others.

The collection nevertheless contains much of interest, from files on individual by-elections, to correspondence on broadcasting and politics. The working papers of the Selwyn Lloyd enquiry and the committee set up to investigate the People's League for the Defence of Freedom, and the Middle Class Alliance, equally provide valuable supplementary information to the final reports.

Restrictions on Access

General access conditions apply to this material.

Preferred Form of Citation

Oxford, Bodleian Library, Conservative Party Archive [followed by shelfmark, e.g. CCO 120/1/1].

Corporate names (NCA Rules)

Subjects (LCSH)

Broadcasting, 1951-60

By-Elections, 1952-63

Committee to examine the People's League for the Defence of Freedom and the Middle Class Alliance (Mr. Cohen's Committee), 1956-7

Party Organisation and Committee on Reorganisation, 1962-3