Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-12-04

NJ Dill IOU TnVW1OEO
in India, or elsewhere in the Orient? We know
that the British are very sensitive if their good
faith is questioned. Nevertheless, here we, and
they, are confronted with a question of fact not
of sentiment. The British have made promises
galore but does any one in the East trust them?
From Palestine to China it is the same story.
Sir Stafford Grips in his farewell broadcast
from India accounted for the failure of his mission
in these words Past dstrust has proved too strong
to allow of present agreement" Some six months
later, in its issue of September %, 1912, the New
York Times said in EDITORIAL
An able correspondent of this newspaper,
whose only interest is to report the news as
accurately as he can, tells us that at the END
of his first month in India he has found
among virtually all Indians dstrust of Brit
tsh promises"
They are convinced" he .wrtes5-ths is
Herbert L. Mathews reporting from New Delhi
that the British have no intention of free
ing India after the war. This is one of the
fundamentals of the Indian situation, and I'M
less it is understood it is impossible to make
any sense of what is happening"
Now let us turn to another impressive testi-
mony. Tom Treanor, the brilliant correspondent
of the Los Angeles Times, went out to the East. Ii
anything his sympatheS were pro-Brltlsh when he
started out Later in the light of experience and
observation at first hand being honest reporter
he had to revise his notions In his book One Damn
Thing After Another Doubleday, Doran), recently
published, Mr.. IreanOr says.
Despite protestations and promises OF the
British that India one day is to get her indie
pendence, apparent step is being made in
this direction Is it any wonder then that the
question? 1t isn't. To the best of my observa-
ton the rank and file Of educated Chinese,
entertain the fixed opinion that Britain does
not intend to free India before after the
war and, as a corollary, that she has not re-
formed in other Imperial respects. That is be
coming my conviction as well. In China it
rod RI mo hat all RrItiS pptS
white papers lawyer-like allegations and as
sertions that it is impossible to proceed fur
ther until Gandhi does this and Congress does
that are regarded as bull The Chinese choose
to believe that these are no more than excuses
They look for new after the In
this conviction they are in complete agree
ment with the Indians
This widespread dstrust of the British word
among the peoples of India and China-represent-
ing between them approximately one-half of man.
kinds the measure of British craftsmanship,
past and present, it has operated in the Orient.
Now let us make the verdict unanimous by cit
ing eminent British authority. Sir Reginald
Dorman-Smith was British Governor of Burma
until the japanese conquered that country. Sir
Reginald, like the rest of British oficaldom hope
fully looks forward to their return to Burma after
the japanese have been thrown out. What will
they do after they return? There was an acute,
unresoved situation between the Burmese and
British before the japanese attack, which, in fact
materially helped japanese penetration and occu-
patton. The Burmese wanted their freedom. Sir
Reginald reverts to the issue in article in Lon
don periodical quoted by Louis Fischer in the
August, 1914, number of Asia and the Americas
New York;
Many he writes will be wondering just
what intentions toward Burma Do
we really mean to lead them on to the goal OF
self-goyernment or will seif-government
compliShed fact? -. One thing can say with
some surety and that is that neither our word
nor our intentions are trusted in that part of
seek. We have fed such countries as Burma
on political formulate until they sick of the
very sight and the very sound of formula,
which has come as far my experience
shows, to be looked upon very British
of avoiding definite of action
Now we have the total picture. No amount of
legal sophistry or diplomatic subterfuge on the
part of Mr. Churchill is going to alter the fact that
the whole of Asia is FESTIVE and resentful and that
the credit of the United Nations and, particularly
the prestige of the United States directly in
volved in this situation
The issue of Asatic freedom is an integral part
of the problem of peace after the It is in fact
part Of the effective prosecution of the war itself
the war against Japan This issue cannot be
conjured away by bombast or bullying Candor
and integrity both demand that it be squarey met.
SYUD HOSSAIN,
Chairman National Committee for India's Freedom.
, idea uM be gratefully aeceptsd.)
FOR midas FREEDOM
Washington 5, D. c.
Akhtar and Yakuli Ali of Detroit