How secret documents changed the Caribbean future
Written by Audra A. Diptée
I am really excited to be working on this project!
In 2011, the world learnt about Operation Legacy.
It was a British policy to destroy and hide documents just before each of its colonies gained independence (1950s-1970s).
The very existence of these secret documents was denied by the British government until recently.
Fortunately, because of a very important court case, they are now available to historians!
My book project Chained in Paradise looks at the consequences of this policy on the Caribbean.
Sift all [records] …. to ensure that none are left which should not be seen by the government of an independent Jamaica”. (1962)
Unfortunately, instructions like those given in Jamaica (quotation above) were given to colonial officials throughout the Caribbean.
Needless to say, there is no way to know what information was lost in the documents that were destroyed.
In Trinidad & Tobago, colonial officials received instructions on how to destroy the documents. It was virtually the same as those given to colonial officials elsewhere:
As an alternative to fire, it is permissible to pack papers to be destroyed in well weighted crates and sink them in deep and current free water. (1962)
Despite all the destruction, we now have access to those documents taken from the Caribbean and hidden in England.
Using these documents, my book Chained in Paradise is going to explore the legacy of this policy.
I’m going to be tackling some challenging questions for this project.
This is going to be much more than a history of Operation Legacy in the Caribbean. It will also look at its impact and how the control of information shaped decisions that influenced the Caribbean future.
Do you have any thoughts about this post? If so, hit the reply button at the end of this page. I would love to hear your comments ….
Join me for what promises to be a wild adventure.
Sign up below (⇓) to follow my progress and to get a sneak peek of my research findings …
Amicalement,
Written by Audra A. Diptée
Want to hear more about these secret documents?
Sign up below for a sneak peak of research findings, to get sample chapters, and to follow progress on a project that traces how the powerful used history to change the Caribbean future …
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1953: Mystery Solved?
Why are there virtually no documents from British Guiana among those that were secretly removed from British colonies under Operation Legacy?
The historian Richard Drayton pointed out it was troubling that there were no documents because …
The plot twist …
In 1961, Trinidad & Tobago was the only British colony to have a Governor who was not white and Caribbean-born …
His name was Solomon Hochoy.
Until recently, I thought he had no knowledge of British efforts to destroy and hide colonial documents …
As a former Government Archivist of Jamaica (2002 – 2009) and University Archivist of UWI (2009 – 2014) I read your article in the Sunday Gleaner of August 6 with interest (see https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/focus/20230806/audra-diptee-secret-history-jamaicas-independence).
I am very aware of these missing documents as I have followed the matter with interest. I am also aware of the numerous articles by Commonwealth historians such as Banton and others. I also know of he serious gaps in the records of the Jamaica Archives.
I seen the list of the Jamaican files (or some of them on the TNA website).
What struck me was how innocuous some of them are …
My question to you this:
Just before Independence in 1962, most if not all the senior officials in Jamaica were Jamaicans.
I think Laurence Lindo, later High Commissioner to England was Secretary to the Governor. Were they implicit in the cover up?
One more point. I have often seen these files called the “Migrated Files” by historians. I like the term ‘Legacy Files’.
Regards, John Aarons
Dear John,
Thank you for your comment. You raise a great point about local collaborators.
I very much (!) appreciate your mention of Laurence Lindo. I’ll keep him on my radar as I go through the files for Jamaica. I have found evidence of local collaborators in Trinidad – namely that of Solomon Hochoy (https://www.audradiptee.com/the-plot-twist/).
You are right that some of these documents seem quite innocuous based on descriptions used by The National Archives (UK). The descriptions provided are not necessarily that insightful.
Ironically, this is precisely why I think it is so important that Caribbeanists look at these documents. We really don’t know what information these documents contain. What we do know is that they were important enough to be removed and for their existence to be denied.
As a professional archivist, I am certain you know only too well the power archival descriptions have to potentially silence certain historical narratives …
Like you, I’m not a fan of the term “Migrated Archives”. It masks the archival injustice. No doubt, when these files were placed in The National Archives (UK), it was a strategic decision to name them as such.
I appreciate your feedback and look forward to other comments given your experience as an archivist.
Amicalement, Audra A. Diptée