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The British Ambassador (Halifax) to the Under Secretary of State (Stettinius)
My Dear Ed: You will remember that Ronnie34 spoke or wrote to you on the 8th August about Drew Pearson’s article on William [Page 243] Phillips’ report to the President about India. In your reply of the 9th August, you said that you were taking the matter up with Mr. Hull, and that either he or you would take it up with the President as soon as he returned.
Have you been able to do anything about it? Of the points Ronnie mentioned, I think the most essential and urgent are that something should be said publicly disassociating the United States Government from what Phillips had said about:—
- a.)
- the morale of the Indian Army, and,
- b.)
- the future attitude of the British Commonwealth towards the Japanese war.
It would appear to me that the matter might be handled in a positive way by means of some speech or statement in appreciation of the achievements of the Indian Army in Africa, Europe, and Burma, and referring to the many statements by the Prime Minister and other British Ministers about United Kingdom participation in the war against Japan.
I hope you will have had a good time in New York, and that none of you will have got into trouble!
Yours ever
- Sir Ronald I. Campbell.↩