845.01/186a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Personal Representative of the President in India (Johnson)
186. Your 263, May 4, 8 p.m. From the President for Colonel Johnson: “I want you to know how much I appreciate your efforts to solve the difficult problems involved in the Indian situation. The position in India today is largely military. Therefore any proposal for settlement has to be weighed from the viewpoint whether if successful, it would aid the military effort to an important extent and whether, if unsuccessful, it is likely to hamper that effort. As far as we can judge there is little chance that the formula which you propose would be acceptable to an important element in the Congress Party, even if it were accepted by some elements in the party, by other Indian groups and by the British. An unsuccessful attempt to solve the problem along the lines which you suggest would, if we are to judge by the results of the Cripps mission, further alienate the Indian leaders and parties from the British and possibly cause disturbances among the various communities. On balance, therefore, I incline to the view that at the present moment the risks involved in an unsuccessful effort to solve the problem outweigh the advantages that might be obtained if a satisfactory solution could be found.”