890F.6363 Standard Oil Co./131
Memorandum by the Secretary of State of a Conversation With the British Ambassador (Halifax)
[For the first part of this memorandum, regarding financial assistance to Saudi Arabia, see page 632.]
I then said that in going over conditions in Iraq and Iran and British problems in that part of the world, it occurred to me to inquire of him about conditions in India and whether the British found it feasible to consider further acts of liberalizing the relations of the United Kingdom to India. He said that the conditions in India were really very good; that Gandhi7 with his opposition to war found himself unable to sympathize with Hitler and later refused to go along in support of the British because that too involved the use of force. He added that sentiment in India towards the British situation and towards Great Britain at this time was very good. He especially pointed out the fact that the Indians have self government in the provinces of British India, which included some areas larger than France or Germany; that the Federal Government controlled primarily by the British only handled national defense, foreign affairs and general finance; that a short time ago they proposed that a committee of Indian officials might make up an eligible list from which the British Government would appoint an official committee to deal preliminarily and in the matter of recommendations with important phases of relations between the general government and the provinces or states and their governments to the extent that the general government has to do with the affairs of the provinces, but he added that the two religious sects, the Moslems and the Hindus, were unable to get together on this proposal, but that it still stands and has made a good impression. He added that it was not deemed feasible or even necessary now to make further liberalizing concessions.
- Mohandas K. Gandhi, leader of the Indian National Congress and of a passive resistance movement.↩