BARRY, Sir Gerald Reid, 1898-1968, Kt, Journalist and Public Servant

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Scope and Content

Notebooks of Sir Gerald Barry, record conversations with Carl Goerdeler (a member of the German opposition to Hitler) and notes on British politics before and after World War Two; correspondence concerning editorial responsibilities at the 'News Chronicle'; texts of wartime broadcasts; diaries of Sir Gerald Barry's visits to France, Greece, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland and the United States of America; a small section on the Festival of Britain consisting of a file of correspondence on the setting up of an International Design Centre and a file of correspondence on the redevelopment of Crystal Palace; one file of correspondence on censorship reform; and articles and speeches by Sir Gerald Barry and notes and drafts for his autobiography.

Administrative / Biographical History

Sir Gerald Reid Barry, 1898-1968, was educated at Marlborough and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He served in the RAF during World War One, gaining the rank of captain in 1918. He subsequently spent most of his life working in newspapers, becoming the Assistant Editor of the 'Saturday Review' in 1921, and the Editor in 1924. In 1930, he founded the 'Weekend Review' of which he was Editor until 1934. During 1936, he became the Managing Editor of the 'News Chronicle', a post that he held until 1947. He was also a director of 'New Statesman' and 'Nation'. Barry was also involved in television. He was Deputy Chairman of the Committee on reform of Obscene Libel Laws: radio and television programmes, ITA and BBC, and an Executive of Granada Television Ltd. He served as Director General of the Festival of Britain 1948-1951, and after this consultant to the London County Council on the redevelopment of the Crystal Palace site. He was also one of the co-founders of PEP (Political and Economic Planning).