1937 Imperial Conference

British Empire meeting in London, England April 2022 1937 Imperial Conference 1937 Imperial Conference.jpg United Kingdom United Kingdom 14 May–24 June 1937 St. James’s Palace London Heads of State or Government 8 Stanley Baldwin(to 28 May),Neville Chamberlain(from 28 May) (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom) 1932 1944 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference Foreign affairs, defence, trade, Imperial Federation The 1937 Imperial Conference was held in London from 14 May to 24 June 1937, following the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on 12 May.Wilson Robert R. 1938 The Imperial Conference of 1937 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-journal-of-international-law/article/imperial-conference-of-1937/75010AB88F3A4D9956AC8CD1EA781250 American Journal of International Law en 32 2 335–339 10.2307/2190981 2190981 0002-9300 subscription It was the eighth and final Imperial Conference and the last meeting of British and dominion prime ministers held until World War II. Topics included the foreign affairs and defence - in particular whether or not the foreign policies of the dominions should follow that of the British government, trade policy and constitutional arrangements.Soward F. H. 1937 The Imperial Conference of 1937 https://www.jstor.org/stable/2750628 Pacific Affairs 10 4 441–449 10.2307/2750628 0030-851X subscription On the last question, the proposal for an Imperial Federation was discussed and dismissed. The conference was attended by representatives of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Southern Rhodesia and Burma. Newfoundland was represented by the UK Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs and the colonial empire by the UK Secretary of State for the Colonies. It was the first Imperial Conference in which the Irish Free State chose not to participate.Dáil Éireann 27/Apr/1937 wherein President de Valera said "the circumstances were such that the interests of the State would [not] be served by going [to the Conference]" Nonetheless, the Irish Free State was still regarded as a Commonwealth member. Delegates attended plenary meetings for the opening and closing sessions of the Conference, on 14 May and 15 June respectively, and during the intervening month there were twenty meetings of principal delegates. Sub-committees gave specialised attention to a number of topics, including imperial shipping, economic questions, constitutional questions, civil air communications, Antarctica and the New Hebrides. During the conference, on 28 May, there was a changeover in the office of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from Stanley Baldwin to Neville Chamberlain. New Zealand Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage attended, with High Commissioner Bill Jordan and civil servant Carl Berendsen (who recalled that neither Ireland or South Africa were represented). The New Zealand government was opposed to appeasement and Italy's invasion of Abyssinia (Ethiopia). Savage criticised appeasement at the conference, saying "Is your policy peace at any price; if it is so I cannot accept it". Anthony Eden replied "No, not at any price, but peace at almost any price", to which Savage replied: "You can pay too high a price even for peace". Berendsen Carl Mr Ambassador: Memoirs of Sir Carl Berendsen 2009 Victoria University Press Wellington 9780864735843 128–9 The Conference The conference was hosted by King-Emperor George VI, with his Prime Ministers and members of their respective cabinets: Nation Name Portfolio United Kingdom Stanley Baldwin(until 28 May)Neville Chamberlain(from 28 May) Prime Minister (Chairman) Australia Joseph Lyons Prime Minister Burma 1937 BurmaBa MawChief Minister Canada 1921 William Lyon Mackenzie King Prime Minister British Raj India The Marquess of Zetland Secretary of State New Zealand Michael Joseph Savage Prime Minister Southern Rhodesia Godfrey Huggins Prime Minister South Africa 1928 South Africa J. B. M. Hertzog Prime Minister References Sources Imperial Conference, 1937. Summary of Proceedings. Journals of the House of Representatives New Zealand 1937 Session I Appendix, A-07 https://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1937-I.2.1.2.10 Citations Category:Imperial Conference Category:History of the Commonwealth of Nations Category:1937 in London Category:1937 in international relations Category:Organised events in London Category:1937 conferences Category:1937 in the British Empire Category:May 1937 in the United Kingdom Category:June 1937 in the United Kingdom Category:1930s in the City of Westminster Category:George VI Category:Stanley Baldwin Category:Neville Chamberlain Category:Third premiership of William Lyon Mackenzie King