The History, Organization, and Operation of the East African High Commission, 1948-1951

One of the outstanding characteristics of the British Empire--and perhaps the source of its greatest strength--has been its capacity to adapt itself to changing world conditions and trends. It is true that powers within the Colonial Office and dominant officials in various colonial regimes frequently have appeared to be not only ultra-conservative but imperious and dogmatic. Too often imperial policy has meant a complete absence of policy. Yet the most radical anglo-phobe must grudgingly admit that somehow the British usually surpass even their American relatives in "muddling through" those eras of uncertainty and tension when overall policy seemingly has been dictated by vacillatory and shortsighted considerations.