740.0011 Pacific War/2461
Madame Chiang Kai-shek to President Roosevelt66
Some British newspapers are conveying the impression that the Cripps mission did not fail but rather prepared the ground for better relations in the future. This view is not shared by the Indian leaders. According to information received from Nehru the mission’s failure has resulted in a deterioration of the position and increased Indian hostile feeling toward Britain. This hostility has been further increased by the inconsiderate handling of Indian refugees in Burma and Malaya. Further, according to Nehru, no real shift in authority was offered and no possibility existed for the establishment of a people’s army for defense purposes. Therefore, there was no basis for compromise. Defense to be truly effective requires the closest relations between the government and its citizens and this is feasible only when there is a real identity between the state and the people. However, real efforts are being made to arouse a fighting spirit to meet the probable attack. Too much cannot be expected of this, however, without the government’s support.
- Copy forwarded on April 24 by Lauchlin Currie, Administrative Assistant to President Roosevelt, to the Under Secretary of State (Welles).↩