![Sample our Politics & International Relations journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5947/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Politics-International-Relations.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
Lord Lothian (Philip Kerr) (1882–1940) had a close association with India for almost thirty years. He played a crucial role in the development of the early policy of The Round Table towards the subcontinent. He was a short-lived junior minister in charge of Indian affairs during a critical phase of the late colonial constitutional reforms. After his resignation he maintained an active relationship with India and an influential presence. During all of this time he consistently advocated the encouragement of a competitive party political system which he saw as the best guarantee of the growth of democracy on the subcontinent.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. There was some speculation that he was considered for the office of Viceroy when Irwin retired. Reports Lord Lothian Slated for Viceroy. New York Times 14 October 1930; Who will be the next Viceroy? The Times of India 21 October 1930; The Next Viceroy. The Times of India 31 October 1930.
2. The Indian Franchise. The Times (London) 3 June 1932.
3. 3.The Lothian Report, The Economist 11 June 1932.
4. Lothian to MacDonald, 9 November 1931, GD40/17/160, Lothian Papers, National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh (NAS). Lothian on inheriting his peerage had acquired extensive financial liabilities.
5. MacDonald to Lothian, 11 January 1932, L/PJ/9/82, India Office Records, British Library. London (IOR).
6. Laithwaite Papers, Mss Eur F138/15, British Library, London, (BL). Interestingly the Cabinet was given a totally different account and assured that there had been ‘no open demonstration of hostility towards any of the Committees [dealing with constitutional reform]’, Cabinet Paper, India, 16 February 1932, CAB 24/228/27, National Archives of England and Wales, London, (NAEW).
7. Mieville to Hailey, 16 March 1932, Hailey Papers, Mss Eur E220/23b, BL.
8. Willingdon to Hoare, 14 March 1932, Hoare Papers, Mss Eur E240/5, BL.
9. Willingdon to Hoare, 10 July 1932, Hoare Papers, E240/11, BL.
10. Willingdon was not known for his close attention to detail. His successor Linlithgow was surprised how rarely he came across a file signed off by Willingdon ‘let alone an actual Viceregal minute’ (Tinker, Citation1997, p. 131), Cross believed that Hoare would never have appointed Willingdon (Cross, Citation1977, p. 143).
11. Lothian to MacDonald, 4 February 1932, Lothian Papers, GD40/17/160, NAS.
12. Lothian to Willingdon, 24 February 1932, Lothian Papers, GD40/17/160, NAS.
13. Hoare to Willingdon, 18 March 1932, Hoare Papers, Mss Eur E240/1, BL.
14. The Communal Problem, 23 March 1932, Cabinet Papers, CAB 23/70/19, NAEW.
15. Government of the United Province (GUP) to Government of India (GoI), 11 July 1932, L/PJ/9/94, IOR.
16. Lothian to ‘Robin’, 29 March 1932, Lothian Papers, GD40/17/159, NAS.
17. Lothian to Smuts, 7 January 1932, Lothian Papers, GD40/17/160, NAS.
18. Lothian to Hoare, 19 February 1932, Lothian Papers, GD40/17/160, NAS.
19. Self-Rule, India’s Only Remedy, Daily Herald (London), 14 March 1932; India’s ‘Novice’ Election, Daily Herald (London), 11 May 1932; Mitra, N. N. (ed.), (Citation1932), 62.
20. Hoare to Lothian, 11 May 1932. Lothian Papers GD40/17/264/370 NAS. Shortly after Lothian was sternly rebuked by Hoare again for circulating unauthorised proposals around the India Office, Hoare to Lothian, 20 July 1932, Lothian Papers, GD40/17/264/371, NAS.
21. See Hoare to Prime Minister, 20 August 1932, L/PO/6/77, IOR; Hoare to Willingdon, 1 July 1932; 11 August 1932, Hoare Papers, Mss Eur E240/2, BL.
22. Williamson (Commissioner Benares Division) to GoI, 4 May 1932, Home Pol. 14/28 1932, National Archives of India (NAI). See also, Publicity Work, Home Pol. 62/32, 1932, NAI; Question of Improving Propaganda and Publicity Work in India, Home Pol. 35/17, 1932, NAI.
23. Prime Minister’s Private Secretary to Hoare, 23 August 1932, L/PO/6/77, IOR.
24. Hoare to Prime Minister, 20 August 1932, L/PO/6/77, IOR. Willingdon finally took action by moving around the senior personnel in the Directorate of Public Information and the Intelligence Bureau, see Willingdon to Hoare, 22 August 1932; 12 September 1932, Hoare Papers, Mss Eur E240/5, BL.
25. Laithwaite to Dawson, 19 March 1932, Laithwaite Papers, Mss Eur F138/15, IOR.
26. Hailey to Irwin, 31 May 1932, Hailey Papers, Mss Eur E220/24a, BL: inter alia, Hailey to Brown, 15 June 1932, Hailey Papers, Mss Eur E220/24b, BL.
27. Willingdon to Hoare, 9 October 1932, Hoare Papers, Mss Eur E240/5, BL.
28. The file revealed Lothian had one meeting with one member of the party at which he advised that the delegation would not be permitted to visit imprisoned activists and suggested some non-Congress ‘liberal’ leaders they should contact. Visit to India under the auspices of the Congress of a delegation of the India League London, Home (Political) file 40/XII, 1932 NAI.
29. Hansard (House of Lords) 28 June 1932, vol. 85, c. 285. See also Daily Telegraph 29 June 1932.
30. Lothian to Willingdon, The Communal Question and the Franchise Committee Report, 8 May 1932, Hailey Papers E220/54, BL.
31. Liberals and Ottawa. The Times (London), 22 September 1932.
32. Lord Lothian’s Position. The Times (London), 27 September 1932.
33. Hoare to Willingdon. 30 September 1932, Hoare Papers, E240/2, BL.
34. Cabinet and Ottawa. The Times (London), 29 September 1932.
35. Hoare to MacDonald, 19 July 1932, L/PO/6/80. IOR.
36. Lothian to Hoare, The Communal Settlement, 19 July 1932, L/PO/6/80, IOR.
37. See Hoare to MacDonald, 20 August 1932. Hoare Papers, Mss Eur E240/16, BL.
38. Hoare to Turnbull, 23 August 1932, L/PO/6/77. IOR.
39. MacDonald to Gandhi, 8 September 1932, ibid.
40. For further details of this episode see Duncan, Citation2022b.
41. As the government warned ‘There is no time for procedure suggested in our telegram of yesterday’. GoI to all Local Governments 24 September 1932; 25 September 1932 Home Pol. file 41/5, 1932 NAI.
42. Cabinet Meeting 28 September 1932, CAB 23/72/8, NAEW. The hurried resolution dictated by Gandhi’s threats was reflected on, and regretted, for years to come. It was pointed out that the content had been concluded ‘in a great hurry, under pressure of Mr. Gandhi’s “fast unto death”’(Joint Committee, Citation1934, 437.). Later it was remarked that ‘The agreement was, it appears, concluded under conditions which precluded any close examination of all its implications, nor does there appear at the time to have been any detailed discussion as to how its aims could best be realized’ (Indian Delimitation Committee, Citation1936, pp. 102–3).
43. Cabinet and Ottawa. The Times (London) 29 September 1932.
44. Hansard (House of Lords) 4 April 1933, Vol.87, c. 288.
45. Hansard (House of Lords) 6 April 1933 Vol. 87, c. 398.
46. Lothian to Hoare, 21 February 1933, Lothian Papers, GD40/17/264/368, NAS.
47. Lothian eventually hosted a weekend house party at his country home in Norfolk for Nehru. Having advised him to have nothing to do with the ‘thorough Fascist’, Indira accompanied her father.
48. See particularly Lothian to Nehru 31 December 1935, Nehru to Lothian 17 January 1936 (Nehru, Citation1958, pp. 129–51).
49. The Times (London), 6 April 1937.
50. Hansard (House of Lords) 8 April 1937, Vol. 104, c. 871.
51. The Times (London), 8 April 1937.