16 FEBRUARY 1940, Page 16

" But you can have no conception," my friend continued,

" how large a place this Indian problem now occupies in the feeling of the United States. They are almost totally ignorant of the real proportions of the problem, and they imagine for instance that the Congress party is the duly elected Parliament of all India and that its views represent the whole people of India ' in Congress assembled.' We seem to be doing nothing whatsoever to place the real facts of the Indian situation before the American people." " But we couldn't do that," I protested, " it would be very dangerous to put the true facts of any situation before the American public. It would be regarded as propaganda, and the Ministry of Information would never allow us to indulge in that. You should read Mr. James Duane Squires upon British propaganda ; you should read Quincy Howe's England Expects. You would then see how acutely sensitive are the American people to any attempt on our part to contradict the lies which are told against us." " I know," he said, " but there is something behind it all: something which is difficult to explain." " You mean," I said, " the American conscience?"