common cause to take their part in the counsels of the Empire. Accordingly, at the beginning of 1917, the Prime Ministers of the Overseas Dominions were invited to attend a series of special meetings at the War Cabinet in order to discuss the problems of the war and the possible conditions of peace. India, for the first time, was also asked to send representatives to take part in this Council of the Empire. The sessions of the Cabinet, thus enlarged, came to be known as the Imperial War Cabinet. The necessities of the war have thus brought into being a body representative of all parts of the Empire, able to deliberate and to come to decisions on questions affecting the day-to-day conduct of the war as well as on the larger issues of Imperial policy without impairing the autonomy of the units of which the Empire is composed. … So successful was this experiment in the opinion of its members that it was decided unanimously that there ought to be an annual meeting of the Imperial Cabinet and that the Prime Ministers of the Empire or their specially delegated representatives, together with the Ministers in charge of the great Imperial Offices should be ex officio members.'[1]
'In June 1917 the War Cabinet invited General Smuts who had attended the meetings of the Imperial War Cabinet as the Representative of the Government of the Union of South Africa, to attend the meetings of the War Cabinet during his stay in the British Isles.'[2]
'The outstanding event of the year in the sphere of Imperial affairs has been the inauguration of the Imperial War Cabinet.'[3]
The advance made during 1918 is shown by the following announcement which was issued on August 18, 1918:
'During the past two and a half months the Imperial War Cabinet has been in continuous session. Every aspect of policy affecting the conduct of the war and the question of peace has been examined by the Prime Ministers of the Empire and other members representative of all its parts.
'These meetings have proved of such value that the Imperial War Cabinet have thought it essential that certain modifications should be made in the existing channels of communication,
