THE COMMONWEALTH SECRETARY-GENERAL: LIMITS OF LEADERSHIP.

This leads to my second point, which is that a better understanding of the whole is the paramount objective. Analytical categories are for clarification, not obfuscation, and in practice the factors listed in the framework do not operate in isolation. For instance, much will depend on the Secretary-General's perception of systemic factors, and the extent to which he sees them as directing or circumscribing his activities.
In this paper, attention will be focused on the Commonwealth Secretary-General and not on the Secretariat, but its efficiency and harmony will obviously be important as part of the resources or capabilities on which the Secretary-General can draw. The Secretariat provides the organizational structure which he heads and within which he works. It was established by agreement among Commonwealth Heads of Government in 1965.[5] In earlier periods the idea of a permanent Secretariat for Imperial Conferences had not found favor chiefly because of fears of institutionalizing British domination. But by the mid-1960s, the 'Empire' was rapidly becoming history: decolonization had produced a new and greatly enlarged Commonwealth in which Asian and African members made up the majority. (See Appendix on p. 83.) The British Colonial Office was virtually redundant and in 1966 it became the Dependent Territories Division of the Commonwealth Relations Office (CRO), while the absorption of the CRO by the Foreign Office was already in prospect.[6] No British government department could present an authentic ' Commonwealth ' image, nor could Whitehall officials put loyalty to the Commonwealth ahead of national loyalty. The new Commonwealth needed a permanent office which could provide continuing services for meetings and conferences, facilitate communication and become a visible core, representing all members and their interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]