Winston S. Churchill Signed 1952 Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ Economic Conference Photograph.

CHURCHILL, Winston S.; Nicolaas Havenga; Dudley Senanayake; Chintaman Dwarakanath Deshmukh; Edgar Whitehead; Sidney Holland; Louis St. Laurent; Robert Menzies; Khawaja Nazimuddin.

$5,000.00

Item Number: 137259

London:, 1952.

Official black-and-white photograph of the members of the November 1952 Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ Economic Conference which historically proclaimed Queen, Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth in succession of her late father, George VI. The large black-and-white silver gelatin print is signed on the mount by Nicolaas Havenga (Finance Minister of South Africa), Dudley Senanayake (Prime Minister of Ceylon), Sir Chintaman Dwarakanath Deshmukh (Finance Minister of India), Edgar Whitehead (Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia), Sidney Holland (Prime Minister of New Zealand), Louis St. Laurent (Prime Minister of Canada), Winston S. Churchill, Robert Menzies (Prime Minister of Australia), and Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin (Prime Minister of Pakistan). In near fine condition. Matted and framed. The entire piece measures 35.5 inches by 25.25 inches.

Called by the British government of Sir Winston Churchill and held in the United Kingdom in December 1952, the 1952 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Economic Conference was an emergency Meeting of the Heads of Government of the British Commonwealth. The principal topic of the conference was the convertibility and liquidity of Pound sterling into American dollars and British concerns that non-sterling Commonwealth countries were building up sterling balances for the purpose of conversion into American dollars, the future of the Pound sterling area, and the alleviation of Commonwealth trade restrictions and imperial preference, particularly in the light of the surging American economy and the desire of Commonwealth countries such as Australia for American investment in order for economic development to occur against British concerns that American economic dominance threatened Britain's economic position. In addition, Commonwealth prime ministers, after months of discussion on whether the newly ascended Queen Elizabeth II should have a uniform Royal Styles and Titles throughout the Commonwealth or whether realms should adopt their own styles and titles, it was agreed that each member of the Commonwealth "should use for its own purposes a form of the Royal Style and Titles which suits its own particular circumstances but retains a substantial element which is common to all" and agreed to pass appropriate legislation in their respective parliaments. The prime ministers also agreed to proclaim the new Queen, Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth in succession of her late father, George VI.