Freedom at Midnight (87 page)

The description of London in 1947 is from contemporary newspaper accounts plus the reports written from the city at the time by Raymond Cartier of Paris Match and Gerald MacKnight

The passage on the British experience in India, the life of the British in India and of I.C.S. and Army officers is based on numerous interviews, most important, those with a series of former I.C.S, men—Lord Trevelyan, Sir George Abell, Christopher Beaumont, Sir Olaf Caroe, Sir Conrad Corfield, Sir Herbert Thompson, Rajeshwar Dayal, S. E. Abbott, Sir John Cotton. Written sources include: The Last Years of British In-dia, Britain in India, British Social Life in India, The Fall of the British Empire, Pax Britannica, A Handbook to the I.C.S. Examinations, 1892, The Handbook of British India, 1854.

CHAPTER 2:

"WALK ALONE, WALK ALONE"

The passage on Gandhi's tour of Noakhali is based largely on interviews with Pyarelal Nayar, his private secretary, and his physician, Sushila Nayar, Pyarelars sister, both of whom were present. Material was also used from interviews with other members of his entourage, including Gurucharan Singh, Brikshen Chandiwallah, Padmaja Naidu and K. Rangaswamy. No source of written material is as useful as Nayar's 2,000-page epic, Mahatma Gandhi — The Last Phase. The contemporary newspaper accounts in the Times of India, The Hindustan Times and The Statesman of India were also employed.

Mr. Anwar Ali, a lawyer in Lahore who has devoted considerable time to the study of Rahmat Ali, provided us with the original text of his Pakistan manifesto, from which the quotes used on page 34 were taken, as well as a number of insights into the career of the man who originated the idea of Pakistan.

chapter 3:

"LEAVE INDIA TO GOD"

The account of Mountbatten's conversation with his cousin George VI is from an interview with Lord Mountbatten and his notes, made at the time of their talk, plus a personal letter sent to him from the King. The portrait of the last viceroy is based on interviews with Mountbatten himself, his daughters, Lady Brabourne and Lady Pamela Hicks, his valet Charles Smith and a number of staff and associates, including Lieutenant Commander Peter Howes, Alan Campbell-Johnson, Admiral Ronald Brockman, Captain Sir James Scott. Written material includes Swinson's Mountbatten, Terraine's Life and Times of Lord Mountbatten, and Lord Mountbatten's personal diary of his tour of India with the Prince of Wales in 1921.

The two passages on Gandhi in Noakhali are based on interviews and written material covering the same subject as set out in the notes in Chapter 2. The biographical passages are based on interviews with the Nayars, Brikshen Chandiwallah, Gurucharan Singh, Acharya Kripalani, Jehangir Patel, Padmaja Naidu, Mrs. V. L. Pandit, Wali and Badshan Khan, the "Frontier Gandhi," Krishna Menon and Raymond Cartier. Written material: Sheean, Lead, Kindly Light and Gandhi, A Great Life in Brief; Coolidge, Gandhi; Ashe, Gandhi — A Study in Revolution; Payne, Gandhi; Nayar, Gandhi — The Last Phase; Fischer, The Life of Mahatma Gandhi; Gandhi,

An Autobiography or The Story of My Experiment with Truth; Kripalani, Gandhi, A Life; Mojumdar, Jinnah and Gandhi.

The passage on the House of Commons's debate is from Hansard and contemporary newspaper accounts. The description of the Mountbattens' departure is based on interviews with Lord Mountbatten, Admiral Brockman, Lieutenant Commander Howes and Charles Smith.

CHAPTER 4!

A LAST TATTOO FOR A DYING RAJ

The passage dealing with Gandhi's relationship with his great-niece Manu is based on interviews with Pyarelal and Sushila Nayar and Nayar's Mahatma Gandhi — The Last Phase. Certain Gandhi quotes, notably those dealing with his dream in Bombay, are from his original editorials written for his paper, Harijan, at the time.

The account of Mountbatten's interview with Lord Wavell is from an interview with Mountbatten and his notes made at the time of their conversation. Lady Mountbatten's profile is based largely on interviews with her husband, her two daughters and her three secretaries in India, Muriel Watson, Elizabeth Ward Collins and Jaya Thadani. The quotes and reflections referring to Lord Mountbatten's 1921 visit are from his private diary.

His arrival at Viceroy's House and his swearing-in as Viceroy, as well as the account of the preparations for the ceremony, are based on interviews with Charles Smith, Captain Sir James Scott, Captain F. J. Burnaby-Atkins, Lieutenant Commander Howes, Admiral Brockman and the Viceroy himself. Written sources included contemporary newspaper accounts, Captain Scott's diary, Campbell-Johnson's Mission with Mountbatten, and the original program and instruction sheets for the ceremony furnished the authors by Elizabeth Collins. The descriptions of Viceroy's House come from "The Viceregal Establishment" lent the authors by Lieutenant Commander Howes.

The account of Mountbatten's first reactions to his task is based on interviews with the last viceroy and with Alan Campbell-Johnson, Lieutenant Commander Peter Howes, Admiral Brockman and Mr. Peter Scott, a member of the Viceroy's I.C.S. staff. His conversation with Sir George Abell is based on an interview with Abell, corroborated by Lord Mountbatten.

CHAPTER 5:

AN OLD MAN AND HIS SHATTERED DREAM

As described in the Acknowledgments section, Lord Mountbatten dictated a lengthy summary of each of his meetings with the Indian leaders as soon as they had left his study. The accounts of his talks with Patel, Jinnah, Nehru and Gandhi are based on these memorandums to which Lord Mountbatten was constantly able to turn during our interviews to refresh his memory. The direct quotes employed are from them.

The portrait of Nehru is based on interviews with his daughter Prime Minister Indira Gandni, his sister Mrs. V. L. Pandit, Lord Mountbatten, his secretaries H. V. R. Iyengar, M. O. Matthai, Tarlok Singh and M. A. Baig. Also helpful were Padmaja Naidu, Durga Das, Acharya Kripalani, Krishna Menon, Alan Campbell-Iohnson, J ay a Thadani, and R. K. Nehru, his nephew. Written sources include: Das, India from Curzon to Nehru and After; R. K. Karanjia, The Mind of Mr. Nehru; Nehru, An Autobiography and The Discovery of India; Sahni, The Lid Off.

The portrait of Patel is based primarily on interviews with his daughter Maniben, and his secretary S. Shankar. Also helpful were Durga Das, C. H. Bhabha, General J. N. Chaudhuri, Sir George Abell, Sir Conrad Corfield, Acharya Kripalani, Raymond Cartier.

The most important written sources are Das, India from Curzon to Nehru and After, and the papers of Mr. Patel, annotated by the same author.

The portrait of Mr. Jinnah was based primarily on interviews with his daughter Dina Wadia; his nephew Akhbar Peer-boy; his first Naval A.D.C., Vice Admiral Syed Ahsan; his physician in Bombay, Dr. J. A. L. Patel; and Colonel William Birnie, his first military secretary, who made available his detailed diary of his days with the Pakistani leader. Also helpful were Yousef Burch, Syed Pinzada, Anwar AH, M. A. Baig, members of his staff or associates and, among his friends Durga Das, J. N. Sahri, J. M. Tayeebji and Padmaja Naidu, an intimate friend of his wife.

The account of his illness was furnished by his physician and daughter. The primary written source is Hector Bolitho's Jinnah — The Creator of Pakistan.

The account of the Governors' Conference is based on interviews with Lord Mountbatten, who retains in his possession the minutes of the Conference. Among those attending who were interviewed were Sir Olaf Caroe, Sir Chandulal Trivedi and Sir George Abell. The description of Mountbatten's visit

to Peshawar and the Punjab are based on interviews with Lord Mountbatten, Sir Olaf Caroe, Abdul Rashid, Deputy Superintendent of Police in Peshawar, and Colonel Mohammed Khan, an organizer of the demonstrations. Gandhi's debate with his colleagues is based on interviews with Pyarelal Nayar and Acharya Kripalani.

chapter 6:

A PRECIOUS LITTLE PLACE

The descriptions of Simla are based on interviews with M. S. Oberoi, Mrs. Henry Penn Montague, Sir Chandulal Trivedi, and a delightful 1895 Guidebook to the city, plus a visit to the site itself. The account of the Viceroy's "hunch" is based on interviews with Lord Mountbatten, Alan Campbell-Johnson, the Earl of Listowel and Admiral Brockman. The account of Nehru's reaction was furnished by Krishna Menon, who accompanied him. V. P. Menon's daughter, Mrs. D. Misra, provided access to his vast personal papers, which include a detailed account of the incident

chapter 7:

PALACES AND TIGERS, ELEPHANTS AND

JEWELS

The account of Sir Conrad Corfield's London visit was provided by interviews with the two key people involved, Corfield and the Earl of Listowel.

The description of the maharajas, their lives and eccentricities is based on interviews with Corfield, his deputy Sir Herbert Thompson, the Raj Matas of Gwalior and Jaipur, the Maharajas of Patiala, Faridkot, Kapurthala, Bundi, Baroda, and Dewas, and the Nawab of Malerkotla. Also most helpful were Lady Bridget Monckton, the widow of the Nizam of Hyderabad's legal adviser Sir Walter Monckton, and his assistant John Peyton; General Ali Yavar Jung of Bombay, who was on the Nizam's staff; H. E. Karan Singh, a member of the Indian government and the son of the late Maharaja of Kashmir, who does not choose to employ his title; and Robin Duff. Primary written sources are Lord, The Maharajas; Forbes, India of the Princes; and de Golish, Splendeur et crepuscule des maharajas.

CHAPTER 8:

"A DAY CURSED BY THE STARS"

The account of Lord Mountbatten's visit to London, his meeting with the Cabinet and with Sir Winston Churchill is based on interviews with Lord Mountbatten and his notes of those meetings dictated at the time; with Sir George Abell, who was also in London; and with the Earl of Listowel, the Secretary of State for India, who attended the first meeting.

The passage dealing with the destruction of the archives of the maharajas' doings and the material they contained is based on interviews with Sir Conrad Corfield and his deputy, Sir Herbert Thompson. Sir Conrad also allowed one of the authors to read an unpublished manuscript covering his experiences with India's princes, their doings and his own career.

The account of Mountbatten's meeting with the Indian leaders on June 2 and 3 is based on interviews with him and the actual minutes of the meetings from his archives, from which all direct quotes are taken. The account of his conversations with Jinnah and Gandhi is based on interviews with Lord Mountbatten and his notes taken of them at the time. Gandhi's quote at his prayer meeting is from Harijan. The press-conference scene was reconstructed from the transcript of the conference and interviews with Lord Mountbatten and Alan Campbell-Johnson. The account of the astrologer's reaction is from interviews with Lord Mountbatten, M. O. Matthai and Swami Manarin, who still retains his original charts and a copy of his letter to the Viceroy.

CHAPTER 9 *

THE MOST COMPLEX DIVORCE IN HISTORY

The description of the manner in which India's assets were divided is based principally on interviews with the two men responsible, H. M. Patel and Chauduri Mohammed Ali. A full set of the reports submitted to them, their recommendations and the minutes of their meeting were made available to the authors. The description of the division of the viceregal carriage comes from interviews with Lieutenant Commander Howes and General Yacoub Khan. The passage dealing with the breaking-up of the Indian Army is based on interviews with General Roy Bucher, Colonel Mohammed Idriss, General Enaith Habibullah, General Harbaksh Singh, Captain Samsher Singh, General J. N. Chaudhuri, General Frank Messervy, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, General D. M. Misra, General J. T. Sataravala, Major General A. Dubey. An excellent

recent history of the Indian Army is available in Mason's Mat-ter of Honour. Much interesting material on its tactics and campaigns is to be found in Elliott's The Frontier 1839-1947.

The passage on Lord Radcliffe's summons and his meetings with the Lord Chancellor and Clement Attlee is based on his own recollections as recorded in an interview plus certain correspondence relative to his appointment exchanged between London and Viceroy's House. The account of hb first meeting with Lord Mountbatten is taken from interviews with the two men. The description of Mountbatten's approach to the problem of the princes comes from interviews with Lord Mountbatten, Sir Conrad Corfield, Patel's daughter and secretary, and the private papers of V. P. Menon.

Lord Mountbatten's nomination to the post of Governor General of an independent India and the thought that preceded it—that he become a joint governor general of the two new dominions—is treated in great length in Hodson's The Great Divide and Campbell-Johnson's Mission with Mountbatten. The account here is based on interviews with Lord Mountbatten and the records of his many discussions of it with his staff and the Indian leadership.

In describing the prepartition troubles in the Punjab, interviews with four former officers of the Punjab police—Gerald R. Savage Rule Dean, W H. Rich and Patrick Farmer—were employed. A copy of the Punjab CJ.D.'s weekly summaries of events in the province was also made available to the authors. The account of Gandhi's first contact with the refugees is from Pyarelal Nayar.

CHAPTER 10 *

"WE WILL ALWAYS REMAIN BROTHERS"

The account of the Royal Assent is based on contemporary newspaper reports. Mountbatten's final address to the Chamber of Princes, their farewell dinner and the reluctance of some of the princes to adhere to one of the new dominions is based on interviews with Lord Mountbatten and his records of the process; the private papers of V. P. Menon. who was the Indian official most closely concerned; and interviews with the Raj Matas of G^alior and Jaipur, the Maharajas of Patiala, Karpurthala and Malerkotla, Sir Conrad Corfield, Lady Monckton, Sir Herbert Thompson and John Peyton The description of Lord Mountbatten's visit to Kashmir is based on interviews with him, his memorandums of his conversations dictated at the time, the minutes of his discussions with his staff on his trip, and his report on his talk to the Attlee government. The account of the attempt to assassinate Jinnah was furnished by G. R. Savage, who brought the information to