740.0011 Pacific War/2414: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 6—8:50 a.m.]
509. The impressions I bring back from India and Burma are far from encouraging. Burma is definitely lost and Assam would likely fall without resistance. The Chinese left flank in Burma broke while the Chinese reserves were engaged in the west endeavoring to extricate the British forces, and the situation is now one of complete rout, the Japanese advancing rapidly in all directions. Myitkyina was bombed ten minutes after my plane flew over it en route to Kunming. Landing fields in northern Burma and Assam are now within easy Japanese bombing range and it is going to be exceedingly difficult if not impossible to maintain commercial air service between India and China. In India during my very brief visit I found a situation which promises no real or substantial resistance to Japanese invasion if attempted. My military and naval attaches who saw General Wavell found him a tired old man. The situation in the Calcutta area is particularly distressing. The Bengalese are generally regarded as prepared to flee at the first bombing, and in consequence 80% of India’s industrial war effort would be demobilized. The few intelligent Indians, principally industrialists, whom I met in Calcutta were much depressed, bitter against the Churchill Government for having sabotaged the Cripps Mission,77 and apparently opposed to any scorched earth policy in event of Japanese attack.
I met no one of any nationality during my visit who was in any way encouraging or optimistic. The Viceroy at New Delhi was noncommittal, but obviously depressed.
- Sir Stafford Cripps, who was sent to India.↩