Office of the Historian

701.4511/2–845: Telegram

The Secretary in Charge at New Delhi (Merrell) to the Secretary of State

New Delhi, February 8, 1945—5 p.m.
[Received February 8—5 p.m.]

96. Department’s No. 72, January 31, 7 p.m. The Joint Secretary External Affairs Department32 indicated to me this morning that Government of India felt that in view of “the constitutional difficulties” it could not accredit Bajpai as a full Chief of Mission.

The position accorded me as Commissioner in the warrant of precedence [will?] doubtless be the same as that given me last June which is immediately after the members of the Viceroy’s Executive Council, the Political Advisor to the Viceroy and the Chinese Commissioner, and immediately before the Australian High Commissioner.33

Merrell
  1. Charles Duke.↩
  2. The Acting Secretary of State (Grew) in his airgram A–47, February 14, confirmed that it was the Department’s view that this was the proper precedence; Mr. Merrell presented his informal letter of introduction on April 20.↩