... concerned with defense problems and the possibility of imperial tariff preference. Relatively informal, they were held when colonial representatives came to Great Britain for royal celebrations. More formalized meetings were held every four years starting in 1907 to 1937. The conferences were designed to strengthen imperial ties by the exchange of ideas, but their decisions had no legal effect. The two main focal points of discussion remained defense and economic policy. In 1917-18 the Imperial War Conference recognized the importance of the whole empire in defense policy by admitting India, not yet self-governing, to the conference. Britain acknowledged the need for practical support from the dominions in military and naval resources, and required participation in the decision-making initiative on the part of the dominions. The dominions also wanted to be able to pursue independent foreign policies, within the bounds of imperial cooperation. The constitution of the conferences themselves and the ...

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