At the Crossroads of Anti-Colonialism, Axis Propaganda and International Communism

Abstract

The bi-lingual (English/German) periodical Azad Hind/Freies Indien (‘Free India’) was published in Berlin from 1942 till at least 1944. It was the mouthpiece of the Free India Centre, established in Berlin by the Indian nationalist leader Subhas Chandra Bose with the help of the German Foreign Ministry, to conduct diasporic anti-colonial politics. Based mainly on unutilized archival material, this article focusses on the following facets of this magazine: (i) its role in synthesizing Indian anti-colonialism with Nazi propaganda and Axis military goals. (ii) intersections between the knowledge production for the magazine and the dynamic political trajectories of the Indians who produced such knowledge, particularly the expression of certain leftist visions and ideals in the magazine by a number of Marxist anti-colonialist Indians. Notably, the Nazis displayed remarkable pragmatism in suspending their ideological antagonism to all forms of leftist politics as far as Azad Hind was concerned.

KEYWORDS:

• Nazi Germany
• Indian anti-colonialism
• international communism
• Marxism
• Subhas Chandra Bose
• Axis propaganda

Acknowledgement

The author wishes to thank Dr. Eleonore Schmitt and Prof. Hans Harder, South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg, for their kind help.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Zentralstelle Freies Indien, RZ102/029572. Political Archive of the German Foreign Ministry (Politisches Archiv, Auswärtiges Amt or PA-AA) Berlin.

2 Functions of the FIC, RZ102029572/392, 393, 394, PA-AA, Berlin.

3 Waddington, Anti-Komintern and Nazi Anti-Bolshevik Propaganda, 593.

4 Report No. G/85, 25 January1945, WO105/5881, 15, National Archives, UK (NAUK).

5 Copies of Bhaiband are held by the Militärarchiv, Freiburg, MSG230/32.

6 Statement, Mukund Rai Vyas. KV/2/3907. Appendix B, 6. NAUK.

7 Statement, A.C.N.Nambiar, KV/2/3904/2, 23–24, NAUK.

8 IHA Rep 76, Secret State Archives, Prussian Cultural Foundation (Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz), Berlin. Indians in Germany. P91, India Office Records, Public and Judicial. \L\PJ\12\513, India Office Records (IOR), British Library, London.

9 Statement, A.C.N.Nambiar, KV/2/3904/2, 23–24, NAUK.

10 List of German consulates in Europe which received copies of Azad Hind, RZ501/60675, RZ 501/60676, PA-AA, Berlin.

11 Memorandum, 19 March 1942, RZ 501/60671.PA-AA, Berlin.

12 Statement, Nambiar, KV/2/3904/2, 24, NAUK.

13 Letter dated 6.8.1942, from Wilhelm Keppler to Karl Megerle. R27501, PA-AA, Berlin. On Karl Megerle, see: Conze et al, Das Amt und die Vergangenheit.

14 Azad Hind. Issue 1/1942. About the publications under the SRI, see Kuhlmann, Subhas Chandra Bose, 162–163.

15 Secret note, Trott. 13.3.42. P2. R27505. PA-AA, Berlin.

16 Statement, Vyas. KV/2/3907, Appendix B, 6, NAUK.

17 Bosès statement to the World Press. Azad Hind. No.5/6, 1942, 1–4. Bose’s statement (over Berlin short wave radio station), 4–8.

18 Kuhlmann, Subhas Chandra Bose, 228–229.

19 Ibid., 272.

20 Azad Hind No. 7\8, 1942, 7–11.

21 For example, Alsdorf, Deutsch-indische Geistesbeziehungen (The spiritual relationship between Germany and India), published by the SRI, 1942.

22 Azad Hind, Issue.1, 1942, 26–30. Here: 26.

23 Statement, Nambiar, KV/2/3904/2, 24, NAUK.

24 Statement, Vyas. KV/2/3907, Appendix B, 7, NAUK.

25 On Hassan: L/PJ/12/659. P.12, IOR, London. On the connections between the Indian Students` Association and the DOV and on DOV’s pro-Nazi propaganda in India: L/PJ/12/410. Also: Nachlass Rassmus. Protokoll der Sitzung des DOV, 19.5.1939, NL234, PA-AA Berlin.

26 Azad Hind, No. 7/8., 1942, 7–11. Subhas Chandra Bose, Das Freie Indien und seine Probleme, Wille und Macht, August 1942. 1–7.

27 Kuhlmann, Subhas Chandra Bose, 29–30.

28 Bose, His Majesty’s Opponent, 2011, 132.

29 Kuhlmann, Subhas Chandra Bose, 351.

30 Hayes, Subhas Chandra Bose, 146.

31 On Nazi propaganda aimed at the Arabs. see: Herf, Nazi Propaganda for the Arab World, 2009.

32 Statement, Nambiar. KV/2/3904. 13 (69), NAUK.

33 Azad Hind, 9/10, 1942, 18–30.

34 Bose, His Majesty’s Opponent, 146–147.

35 Kuhlmann, Subhas Chandra Bose, 318.

36 Azad Hind. Issue 1, 1942, 15–25.

37 Hayes, Subhas Chandra Bose, 43.

38 Secret note, SRI, 15.7.42, RZ501/60673.P2.PA-AA, Berlin.

39 Newspaper clippings. NS 22/130, Federal Archives, Berlin.

40 Bose, His Majesty’s Opponent, 253–254.

41 Bhatta Lebenslauf, 578\150, Archive of the University of Tübingen.

42 Junginger, Das Arische Seminar, 77–207.

43 Correspondence between the Indologist Walther Wüst and the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA), 1939, NS 19\1086, Federal Archives, Berlin. Letter from Cultural Political Office of the NSDAP to the Foreign Affairs Section, NSDAP: NS 15/250. Federal Archives, Berlin.

44 Statement, Nambiar, KV2/3904/3, 62–64, NAUK.

45 Hauner, India in Axis Strategy, 546.

46 Azad Hind, No. 9/10, 1942, 10–17.

47 Azad Hind, No.5/6, 1943, 10–20.

48 Ibid., 20.

49 Studer, Reisende der Weltrevolution, 2020.

50 For a detailed treatment of the subject, see Chattopadhyay, An Early Communist.

51 Haslam, The Spectre of War, 62–63.

52 Statement, Nambiar, KV/2/3904/2, 8–19, NAUK.

53 Notes on suspect Indians on the continent of Europe, July, 1944, /L/PJ/12/74. IOR, London.

54 Ibid.

55 Statement of Frau Imhoff, a secretary at the FIC, KV/3904/3, 54, NAUK.

56 Azad Hind, 3/4, 1942, 21–25.

57 Azad Hind. No.9/10, 1944, 5–10.

58 Statement, Nambiar, KV/2/3904/2, 25. NAUK.

59 Azad Hind, No.3/4, 1942, 38–46.

60 Statement, Vyas, KV2/3907. Appendix C3, NAUK. Biographical details of J.K.Banerji, L/PJ/12/659, 15, IOR, London.

61 On Paris as a ‘safe space,’ see Goebel: Anti Imperial Metropolis.

62 Azad Hind No. 3\4, 1942, 7–13.

63 Statement, Vyas, KV2/3907, 98.NAUK.

64 Statement, Nambiar, KV2/3904/2, 25.NAUK.

65 Statement, Vyas, KV2/3907, Appendix B, 7, NAUK.

66 Biographical details of Promode Sengupta: L/PJ/12/376, IOR, London.

67 Statement, Nambiar, KV2/3904/2, 19, NAUK.

68 Azad Hind No.3/4, 1944, 12–17.

69 Azad Hind No.3/4, 1944, 24–28.

70 Bayly and Harper, Forgotten Armies, 362.

71 Azad Hind, 9/10, 1944, 29–36.

72 Statement, Vyas, KV2/3907, 105. NAUK.

73 Azad Hind, No.5/6, 1944, 33–37.

74 List of disloyal Indians in Europe, L/PJ/12/659. 95, IOR, London.

75 Vyas, Passage through a Turbulent Era, 260–266.

76 Azad Hind No. 2, 1942, 25–35.

77 Roy, "New Findings on Subhas Chandra Bose," 87, 89.

78 Azad Hind, No.7/8, 1944, 6–11.

79 Kallis, Nazi Propaganda, 46.

80 Ibid., 51.

81 Azad Hind. No. 1/2, 1943, 39–46.

82 Azad Hind. No. 1/2, 1943, 33–38.

83 Undated report Indien-Berichterstattung, Anti-Bolschewistische Information, NS19/2453.P.3. Federal Archives, Berlin.

84 Azad Hind, No. 1/2, 1944, 26–33.

85 J. K. Banerji, Die indische Hungersnot. Ihre Gründe und Hintergründe,‘ GFM33/565/1313. Serial No. 350338-350343, NAUK.

86 Azad Hind. No. 5/6, 1942, 9–20.

87 Azad Hind No. 2, 1944, 22–30.

88 Ibid., 23.

89 Azad Hind, No. 7/8, 1943, 36–46 (Part I). No.1, 1944, 34–41 (Part II), No.7/8, 1944, 38–45 (Part III).

90 Azad Hind. 1944. No. 7/8, 45.

91 Azad Hind, No.3/4, 1944,, 38–39. Vyas claimed that Sengupta assumed this name, Statement Vyas, KV23/907, Appendix B, 7, NAUK.

Additional information

Funding

Materials for this project were found in course of my research for the project ‘Indology in Nazi Germany,’ funded by the German research Foundation or Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). Project number: 406234171.