The Dominions Office, 03.09.1939

SECRETARY OF STATE	The Rt. Hon. Sir Thomas Inskip ^[1]
Parliamentry Under-Secretary of State	Edward Cavendish, Duke of Devonshire
Permanent Under-Secretary of State	Sir Edward J. Harding ^[2]
Deputy Under-Secretary of State	- vacant -
Assistant Under-Secretaries of State	Mr. J.E. Stephenson, Mr. P. Liesching
Legal Advisor	Sir Grattan Bushe
Assistant Legal Advisor	Mr. H.H. Duncan
Second Assistant Legal Advisor	Mr. K.O. Roberts-Wray
Third Assistant Legal Advisor	Mr. W.L. Dale
Private Secretaries to the Secretary of State	Mr. N.E. Archer, Mr. H.T. Bourdillon, Rear-Admiral A. Bromley ^[3]
Private Secretary to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State	Mr. P. Rogers
In charge of Public Relations	Mr. E. Rawdon Smith
Press Officer	Mr. A. Ridgway
Assistant Press Officer	Mr. A. Bell

NOTES:
[1] Succeeded by The Rt. Hon. Anthony Eden on 4th September 1939.
[2] Succeeded by Sir Eric Machtig in October 1939.
[3] Ceremonial and Reception Secretary.

The Imperial Conference of 1907 decided that Canada and Australia should be referred to as "Dominions", rather than Colonies. Two other self-governing colonies, New Zealand and Newfoundland, were also granted Dominion status that year. Followed by South Africa in 1910 and the Irish Free State in 1922, but only to 1937. The Balfour Declaration (1926) and the Statute of Westminster (1931) recognised these territories as "autonomous Communities within the British Empire," establishing these states as equals to the United Kingdom, making them essentially independent members of the Commonwealth of Nations.

The staff of the Colonial Office and the Dominions Office below the rank of Assistant Under Secretary of State is interchangeable. the services of the Legal Staff, the Establishments Branch, the Libary, the Accounts, Printing, Revision of Records, and Telegraph Sections are at the disposal of both the Colonial Office and the Dominions Office.