845.00/1807: Telegram

Mr. William Phillips, Personal Representative of President Roosevelt in India, to the Secretary of State

163. The resolution quoted in my 164 of February 20, 4 p.m.22 has been suppressed by the censors, both for publication in India and for transmission abroad. The Committee has telegraphed the resolution to Mr. Churchill and to Mr. Amery23 but whether these telegrams have actually been allowed out of the country by the authorities is unknown.

[Page 198]

Although to date there has been comparatively few demonstrations or disturbances, I am convinced that with each day the feeling against the British is mounting. From this angle alone I view the situation with concern. It appears to me that a means of checking this trend might be a magnanimous gesture on the part of the King, ostensibly made at the Viceroy’s request, in response to the widespread appeal of the Indian populace, for the unconditional release of Gandhi.

Phillips
  1. Infra.
  2. Leopold C. M. S. Amery, British Secretary of State for India.