Statement of Mahatma Gandhi on Lionel Curtis’ letter

[Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav]

Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Senior Gandhian Scholar

Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India

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Statement of Mahatma Gandhi on Lionel Curtis’ letter

 

It turns out that the discoverer of Mr. Lionel Curtis’ letter to the Secretary of the Round Table was Mr. Gandhi. New India writes: “An Ahmadabad correspondent writing to the Hindustan of Bombay gives details of an explanation given by Mr. Gandhi at his Ashram at Ahmadabad regarding the “private” letter of Mr. Curtis, Mr. Gandhi says: It was at Agra that this letter came accidentally to-my hands. It was printed in the Government press and was marked ‘private’. But it came to my hands through the mistake of some pressman along with a book. The moment I saw it I was startled, and on seeing the danger that stood before the country, I resolved to expose the conspiracy before the Congress somehow or other and I handed it over to Mr. Horniman. But at that time l made a suggestion that Mr. Curtis should be given 24 hours’ notice to make any explanation which he thought fit. But others thought it was one’s duty to publish it then and there, and that there was no necessity to give such a notice; I also agreed to this. If underneath our houses somebody digs a mine and fills it with explosives, and if our enemy thinks of blowing it up when there is a gathering there, and he sends a chit round marked ‘Private and confidential’, it is our duty to catch hold of it and expose it. I know Mr. Curtis for a long time. His brother was in South Africa. I think that because of the publication of this letter, the game of putting India under the dominance of the Colonies will not come to pass.   

Reference:

The Indian Social Reformer, 21-1-1917