Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-09-22

To the Right Honorable Winston Churchill
Prime Minister of Great Britain:
Sir: If you were to die tomorrow, with the
war unended and your ultimate role in it unde-
termined, you would 20 down in historv-even
on your record so far-as one of the very great
est leaders that England has produced Your
name inevitably would be coupled with Pitt and
with Lloyd George as among the saviors of
England IN desperate crisis. The manner in
which you restored the morale of Britain after
Dunkerque, and helped build up her magnif-
cent resistance and endurance, is among the
trlumphs of memorable leadership. Your pic
turesque personality, moving eoquence and ex-
qulslte English have all, moreover, combined to
Leave lasting impression not only upon Amer
lea, but the world at large. The European VIC
TINS OF Hitler have especially looked up to you
as an inspired and effective crusader But unless
you can show greater capabilities of magma
ton, integrity and moral recovery, you would
probably end up-in the total reckoning-as
a tragic failure. The political epitaph on your
father - Lord Randolph Churchill - was,
There goes man with great future behind
hlm!' This was commentary on the fact that
ne was not able to live up to the promise of his
earlier career and, particularly, the great ex-
pectatlons entertained of him in the penuti-
mate phase, and just before his debacle His
tory may repeat itself in the case of his great
son-lf the latter cannot rise to the infinitely
greater challenge and opportunity with which
fate has confronted him.
With this prelude, Sir, | desire to draw YOUR
attention to India-and also somewhat recall
your record on India
Englishmen, Americans and Indians of the
highest possible standing are agreed that YOUR
blind spot is India. 1t is very big blind spot
subjectively and effectively. effectively India
happens to be subcontinent almost as large
as the whole continent of Europe with popu-
lation of some 400 millions of people, and it just
happens that neither India nor the outside
world is any longer prepared to tolerate it as
a private preserve of your imperial or ancestral
domain. Those halcyon days of good Queen
Victoria, as | need hardly remind you, are
over SubJectlvely you are still blind to the
fact that the ultimate moral challenge, the acid
test, in this whole gobal struggle centers in the
case of India. You remain prisoner of your
prejudices. Instead of coming clean on this
issue you have been trying to carry water on
both shoulders; simultaneously, claiming the
role OF champion of world democracy and hui
man freedom, and seemingly. denying both
democracy and freedom to one-fifth of man.
kind That is the moral dilemma of Imperial
Britain-in India, and before the world It is
also rather sorry and unreasonable exhibit
ton on the part of yourself.
The whole world is engaged in titanic struggle,
not only militariy to defeat, but also morally to
discredit Hitlers bid for Europe and the Jap
anese bid for Asia. But you blithely imagine
and assume that you and the co-benefciaries
OF Britain's ruling class can, by dual process
OF internal coercion and external deception, in
definitely retain a strangle-hold on India. Let
me remind you that your distinguished con-
frere of the Big -Four, Generalissimo Chang
Kai-shek, has publicly stated: "rhe vast ma
jority of the worlds opinion is in full sympathy