Bengal Famine - Churchill deliberately let millions of Indians starve to death

[LurkerBaba]

British have a track record of causing famines. Eg: the Great Famine in Ireland where food was still being exported at the height of the famine. I'm sure an argument terming it as a policy & administrative failure can be made too

 

[Indx TechStyle]

(practically everyone was racist at the time even among Indians).

A bit OT. World has history of being racist towards Indians. Be it Whites, Latinos, East Asias and even Africans. So, calling Indians racist by any means is insanity.
Even sense of supermacy among Indian nationalist is about cultural superiority in nature and not race. Ethnicity is a stupid concept in India.
And this what makes this little difference that Indians aren't that often to go around and cry "racism".

But India only become a sovereign and unified country in 1947. Before that each kingdom or province in India were only glued together by British Imperialism. It was largely Gandhi and Indian freedom movement that united much of India.

Not reallly, cultural identity and cultural nationalism is far older in India. As Maratha empire was strong enough to turn Mughal kingdom into small enclaves and even made British cry a couple of times before its demise, it's not sane to assume that India wouldn't have regained sovereignty without British. India had local great power dynasties with empathy among them as well as support by Hindu/Sikh/Bodh/Jain populations.

On topic,
It may be that he didn't kill Indians out of his racism but England was focused on winning war. Though bringing environmental causes here to defend British empire is a failed whitewash attempt as greatest drought was in 1941. Precipitation was well above average in 1943 which clearly indicates that at least environment had no role to play in it. Bengal famine was essentially a British creation, they did intentionally, unintentionally for whatever purpose may be point of debate.

Draught and Famine in India, 1870-2016

Diversion of food or taxation like must be at play or something what they abandoned to write in history. UK wasn't much different from USSR or Nazis when comes to whitewashing history.

Most likely he pulled out food from Bengal to prevent supplies to invading Japanese forces and this would be what must have led to Bengal famine.
"Indians breed like rats" is a further low blow argument as fertility rates in India had always been declining. Such a severe shortage wasn't supposed without a great disaster what wasn't in sight.

You are trying to play the same game here in this forum the British played centuries back ?

Do not dare to try it ...

No vague comments please. How could he play "same game" on DFI.
Every member has a known political orientation. Similarly, @asianobserve too always have stuck himself defend US/UK/EU.

 

[LurkerBaba]

Let's avoid OT posts like Indian nationalism etc. Here's a very well researched post by RajaRajaC on the Bengal famine:

The famine was caused by war and natural disaster, the British did everything possible to help, and only local merchants are at fault for hoarding is the common defense of Colonial apologists. British primary sources themselves disagree with this finding. Read on -

Close to 200,000 tonnes were exported from Jan - Apr 42 (appendix 4 Famine enquiry commission titled Report on Bengal pp 26-28) there were very limited local stockpiles.

Then in 1942 towards the end as no food relief was forthcoming, the Raj ordered people to board 3 months worth of food supplies (Nanavati papers pp 196-7), this further had a disastrous effect by taking even more food from the markets into private stashes.

Moving on, we have the effect of inflationary pressures and Churchill's direct role in this to consider.

To pay for wartime purchases and grain imports (India was a net grain importing nation by the 30's), Britain stopped payment in currency, it issued a sort of an IOU against Indian Sterling reserves held in London. But the Raj paid out the military and armament companies in India in currency. To cover this the RBI pumped in currency notes (amount of currency in circulation in India rose 5 fold in 4 years) fuelling runaway inflation. (M N Roy, poverty or plenty pp 25-30)

This is when Amery asked London to settle outstanding dues on the Sterling accounts (so that inflation may ease) Churchill flat out refused (Leo Amery diaries pp 833) he instead told Amery,

Britain is her (India) protector not debtor. She should be grateful that Britain is there to defend her.

Amery wrote and I quote him in full,

It's an awful thing dealing with a man like Winston who is at the same moment Dictatorial, eloquent and muddleheaded. I am not sure that I ever got into his mind (sic) that India pays for the whole of her defense including the army in India. That there is no way of reducing these growing balances except by stopping of purchase of all Indian goods.

He further writes

None of them (the cabinet) have the courage to stand up to Winston and tell him he is making a full of himself

• Amery diaries pp 836-7

Then in Oct 42 came the first trigger, a massive cyclone that killed 10's of thousands and dispossessed millions. Appeals to the Civil supplies bureau to feed these millions went unheeded and the Indian official in charge R R Sen was asked to buy what rice he could and distribute it on his own accord (Nanavati papers Testimony of Sen. Pp 441)

Nov 1 1942 (a full 18 months before this telegram you so proudly cite) the American Welfare board issued a warning to the Raj about the fire food situation in Bengal and India in particular. It listed all the reasons that we argue to this day about,

• Fall of Burma
• Lack of effective price controls
• Speculation
• Exports
• Rail priority for military shipments
• Sharp inflation

So clearly this was not some secret but widely known including to the Americans and yet Churchill writes a letter pleading for help 18 months after?

Interestingly the Raj (famine enquiry commission, report of Bengal) through a food commission member of the Raj in an interview to the Statesman (Dec 18th, 1943) said that the food crisis is over and I pray that it may never occur again. So even by this yardstick, Churchill asks for help a full 4 months after the Raj declared this famine to be over.

Even in Nov 1943 when the famine was well and truly underway the Director of Civil supplies observed a shipment of grain being exported to Sri Lanka and Marutius (spelling?) So clearly export quotas were continuing to be met.

• Nanavati papers Testimony of Pinnel (said director) pp 552

December 9th, Linlithgow (head of the Raj food department), asked for 600,000 tonnes of grain. He even threw in a carrot of how the war work would get hampered without this aid

• vol 3, GoI food Dept to secy of state Dec 9, memo

This was denied. Reason? The cost would be prohibitive to the war effort

• vol 3, GoI food Dept to secy of state Dec 15th, memo

Multiple such telegrams were sent in the period Dec 9th to 20th, all turned down.

Even the CiC of South Asia Wavell got in the act and agreed with Linlithgow, but his petition was also rejected

In January 43, the War Cabinet authorised 130,000 tonnes but only by the end of April!

• Transfer of Power Vol 3, Amery to Linlithgow pp 520 (since you already quote extensively from TOP this should be easy for you to cross check)

Aug 4th 1943, the famine was well underway, Amery wrote and I quote,

The Indian economy is being strained to the breaking point by the enormous demands laid upon it as a source of supplies and of men for the army. The large sums of money which have to be poured into the country (the 5fold increase of currency notes) against which there have been no offsetting vol of imports, have created a serious inflationary situation

He also demanded 500,000 tonnes of grains

• Transfer of Power Vol 4, document #67

This too went unheeded.

The war cabinet after a month said that it could divert a portion of 30,000 tonnes from Australia but only after stockpiles in Sri Lanka and Middle east were satisfied

• TOP vol 4, war cabinet minutes, 111th conclusion pp 155

By dec the famine was almost petering out but cholera and Malaria took hold. To combat cholera you need disinfectants, but disinfectants was being hoarded by the British army and it went unchecked.

• Nanavati papers, testimony of Lt Col Cotter pp 386

Wavell though continued his telegram onslaught, on the 24th of dec he wrote one to the cabinet demanding 1.5mn tonnes of grain imports to ward of further starvation related deaths

The cabinet replied

Out of the question, possibly 50,000 tonnes could be possible by February

• TOP sexy of state to GoI, food department pp 585

The cabinet met on Feb 7, 1944 and Churchill ruled out any diverting of shipping to aid India. In this the minister for war transportation was in agreement with him.

They did though divert shipping to transport 10,000 tonnes of grain a month from India to Sri Lanka

• TOP vol 4, war cabinet 16th conclusion pp 701

The cabinet further noted that the shortage in Bengal was

Insignificant and political in nature, caused by the Marwari supporters of the Cong in an effort to embarrass the existing Muslim govt of Bengal and HM Govt. Under such circumstances agreeing to imports would amount to aiding the enemy

I am going to repeat this,

After some 2mn had died, after their own govt in India had been warning about shortages of grains for 18 months by then, after even the Americans warned about dire shortages the Churchillian cabinet said

**Insignificant and political in nature, caused by the Marwari supporters of the Cong in an effort to embarrass the existing Muslim govt of Bengal and HM Govt. Under such circumstances agreeing to imports would amount to aiding the enemy

After denying shipping at that too.

The cabinet though magnanimously agreed to set up a committee to investigate, consisting of Minister for War transportation, food minister and Winston's closest advisor, Lord Cherwell.

Amery notes in his diaries (pp 933) that Cherwell hated India just like Winston.

When news of these denials reached Delhi, Wavell shot off another Telegram, saying

The famine was ones of the greatest that had befallen people under British rule and damage to our reputation is incalculable. He then threatened to resign unless aid was sent to India.

• TOP vol 4 Wavell to Amery pp 706

Churchill though remained stubborn and said while he would help, India should not ask the impossible

• TOP vol 4, Churchill to Wavell pp 718

The war cabinet then again met Feb 14th 1944 Churchill again said there was no shipping available and that IF there was acute shortage, then possibly 24,000 tonnes of Iraqi grain could be sent as aid

Yes that's right, 16 months after the famine began the cabinet of Churchill was considering this famine to be a ploy and not significant.

The request of the Viceroy was again...rejected

And now we get to the fun parts.

The Viceroy again shot off a Telegram

*demanding 500,000 tonnes of grain

• Aid request be placed to the Americans
• India apply to the UNRRA

Both the cinc of India Auchinlek and Mountbatten sent their own telgrams stressing the urgency of the situation.

The cabinet then met on Feb 21,

They denied it again. They also said that Aussie grain (promised before, see 3 Paras above) on the way to India was redirected to the Balkans , the promised Iraqi grain was also rejected.

The request for aid to the Americans was denied (as it was assumed that the US had no shipping) as was the appeal to UNRA

• Top vol 4, Churchill to Wavell pp 729

Then Churchill had a brainwave and the cabinet cables Wavell that India could get 300,000 tonnes of Aussie wheat in exchange for 300,000 tonnes of Bengal rice (a cruel joke if there ever was one)

• TOP vol 4, Wavell to Amery pp 801.

The criminal culpability of Churchill and his cabinet is writ large to any reasonable person

 

[asianobserve]

Okay, since you're falling on each other to make it appear that Churchill deliberately ordered the killing of Millions of the poorest Bengalis, show a British Government document ordering their starvation...

 

[Assassin 2.0]

Okay, since you're falling on each other to make it appear that Churchill deliberately ordered the killing of Millions of the poorest Bengalis, show a British Government document ordering their starvation...

You are asking for starvation certification but Raw facts are on ground facts of dead 3 million died now ask for certificate for that too. They died because of imperial people.

 

[bose]

Okay, since you're falling on each other to make it appear that Churchill deliberately ordered the killing of Millions of the poorest Bengalis, show a British Government document ordering their starvation...

Churchill had hate rate and disdain for Indians ... You agree ?

Churchill took decision that was responsible for millions of death due to famine ... Then why will he not be responsible for the deaths ?

 

[LurkerBaba]

Okay, since you're falling on each other to make it appear that Churchill deliberately ordered the killing of Millions of the poorest Bengalis, show a British Government document ordering their starvation...

Facile.
I've quoted multiple primary sources from the British archives including instances where Churchill actively refused aid.

The Irish have done a great job on this. None of the British apologists ask them for this "starvation certificate". Recently, there's a lot of active research coming out of India on the economic and human impact of British colonialism. We'll get there.

 

[Assassin 2.0]

.......................

 

[LurkerBaba]

Late Victorian Holocausts (the famines that fed the empire) is another great resource. The author literally characterises the Indian famines under the British Raj as "colonial genocide"

It was released in 2001. Received a lot of criticism back then from the usual apologists like Niall Ferguson. But multiple later studies tend to agree with its narrative.

 

[Assassin 2.0]

Such a heartless people they are

 

[Assassin 2.0]

This thread is truly depressing..

 

[asianobserve]

Let's avoid OT posts like Indian nationalism etc. Here's a very well researched post by RajaRajaC on the Bengal famine:

The famine was caused by war and natural disaster, the British did everything possible to help, and only local merchants are at fault for hoarding is the common defense of Colonial apologists. British primary sources themselves disagree with this finding. Read on -

Close to 200,000 tonnes were exported from Jan - Apr 42 (appendix 4 Famine enquiry commission titled Report on Bengal pp 26-28) there were very limited local stockpiles.

Then in 1942 towards the end as no food relief was forthcoming, the Raj ordered people to board 3 months worth of food supplies (Nanavati papers pp 196-7), this further had a disastrous effect by taking even more food from the markets into private stashes.

Moving on, we have the effect of inflationary pressures and Churchill's direct role in this to consider.

To pay for wartime purchases and grain imports (India was a net grain importing nation by the 30's), Britain stopped payment in currency, it issued a sort of an IOU against Indian Sterling reserves held in London. But the Raj paid out the military and armament companies in India in currency. To cover this the RBI pumped in currency notes (amount of currency in circulation in India rose 5 fold in 4 years) fuelling runaway inflation. (M N Roy, poverty or plenty pp 25-30)

This is when Amery asked London to settle outstanding dues on the Sterling accounts (so that inflation may ease) Churchill flat out refused (Leo Amery diaries pp 833) he instead told Amery,


Amery wrote and I quote him in full,


He further writes

• Amery diaries pp 836-7

Then in Oct 42 came the first trigger, a massive cyclone that killed 10's of thousands and dispossessed millions. Appeals to the Civil supplies bureau to feed these millions went unheeded and the Indian official in charge R R Sen was asked to buy what rice he could and distribute it on his own accord (Nanavati papers Testimony of Sen. Pp 441)

Nov 1 1942 (a full 18 months before this telegram you so proudly cite) the American Welfare board issued a warning to the Raj about the fire food situation in Bengal and India in particular. It listed all the reasons that we argue to this day about,

• Fall of Burma
• Lack of effective price controls
• Speculation
• Exports
• Rail priority for military shipments
• Sharp inflation

So clearly this was not some secret but widely known including to the Americans and yet Churchill writes a letter pleading for help 18 months after?

Interestingly the Raj (famine enquiry commission, report of Bengal) through a food commission member of the Raj in an interview to the Statesman (Dec 18th, 1943) said that the food crisis is over and I pray that it may never occur again. So even by this yardstick, Churchill asks for help a full 4 months after the Raj declared this famine to be over.

Even in Nov 1943 when the famine was well and truly underway the Director of Civil supplies observed a shipment of grain being exported to Sri Lanka and Marutius (spelling?) So clearly export quotas were continuing to be met.

• Nanavati papers Testimony of Pinnel (said director) pp 552

December 9th, Linlithgow (head of the Raj food department), asked for 600,000 tonnes of grain. He even threw in a carrot of how the war work would get hampered without this aid

• vol 3, GoI food Dept to secy of state Dec 9, memo

This was denied. Reason? The cost would be prohibitive to the war effort

• vol 3, GoI food Dept to secy of state Dec 15th, memo

Multiple such telegrams were sent in the period Dec 9th to 20th, all turned down.

Even the CiC of South Asia Wavell got in the act and agreed with Linlithgow, but his petition was also rejected

In January 43, the War Cabinet authorised 130,000 tonnes but only by the end of April!

• Transfer of Power Vol 3, Amery to Linlithgow pp 520 (since you already quote extensively from TOP this should be easy for you to cross check)

Aug 4th 1943, the famine was well underway, Amery wrote and I quote,


He also demanded 500,000 tonnes of grains

• Transfer of Power Vol 4, document #67

This too went unheeded.

The war cabinet after a month said that it could divert a portion of 30,000 tonnes from Australia but only after stockpiles in Sri Lanka and Middle east were satisfied

• TOP vol 4, war cabinet minutes, 111th conclusion pp 155

By dec the famine was almost petering out but cholera and Malaria took hold. To combat cholera you need disinfectants, but disinfectants was being hoarded by the British army and it went unchecked.

• Nanavati papers, testimony of Lt Col Cotter pp 386

Wavell though continued his telegram onslaught, on the 24th of dec he wrote one to the cabinet demanding 1.5mn tonnes of grain imports to ward of further starvation related deaths

The cabinet replied

• TOP sexy of state to GoI, food department pp 585

The cabinet met on Feb 7, 1944 and Churchill ruled out any diverting of shipping to aid India. In this the minister for war transportation was in agreement with him.

They did though divert shipping to transport 10,000 tonnes of grain a month from India to Sri Lanka

• TOP vol 4, war cabinet 16th conclusion pp 701

The cabinet further noted that the shortage in Bengal was


I am going to repeat this,

After some 2mn had died, after their own govt in India had been warning about shortages of grains for 18 months by then, after even the Americans warned about dire shortages the Churchillian cabinet said


After denying shipping at that too.

The cabinet though magnanimously agreed to set up a committee to investigate, consisting of Minister for War transportation, food minister and Winston's closest advisor, Lord Cherwell.

Amery notes in his diaries (pp 933) that Cherwell hated India just like Winston.

When news of these denials reached Delhi, Wavell shot off another Telegram, saying

• TOP vol 4 Wavell to Amery pp 706

Churchill though remained stubborn and said while he would help, India should not ask the impossible

• TOP vol 4, Churchill to Wavell pp 718

The war cabinet then again met Feb 14th 1944 Churchill again said there was no shipping available and that IF there was acute shortage, then possibly 24,000 tonnes of Iraqi grain could be sent as aid

Yes that's right, 16 months after the famine began the cabinet of Churchill was considering this famine to be a ploy and not significant.

The request of the Viceroy was again...rejected

And now we get to the fun parts.

The Viceroy again shot off a Telegram

*demanding 500,000 tonnes of grain

• Aid request be placed to the Americans
• India apply to the UNRRA

Both the cinc of India Auchinlek and Mountbatten sent their own telgrams stressing the urgency of the situation.

The cabinet then met on Feb 21,

They denied it again. They also said that Aussie grain (promised before, see 3 Paras above) on the way to India was redirected to the Balkans , the promised Iraqi grain was also rejected.

The request for aid to the Americans was denied (as it was assumed that the US had no shipping) as was the appeal to UNRA

• Top vol 4, Churchill to Wavell pp 729

Then Churchill had a brainwave and the cabinet cables Wavell that India could get 300,000 tonnes of Aussie wheat in exchange for 300,000 tonnes of Bengal rice (a cruel joke if there ever was one)

• TOP vol 4, Wavell to Amery pp 801.

The criminal culpability of Churchill and his cabinet is writ large to any reasonable person

Wherever you have lifted these article from, and you've done a great deal of disservice to its author for not giving the courtesy of a citation or me for deoriving me of an opportunity to scrutinize the document, these claims are cherry picked from quotes of the diary of Amery. The fact is that Britain was engsged in a World Wsr with Hitler and Mossulini in Europe and the Japanese in Asia. The war was the priority for Churchill, everything were secondary.

But what are the facts:

1) Upon being fully aware of the famine, the War Cabinet sent 200,000 tons of grain from Australia to India.
2) Churchill appointed General Archibald Wavell in 1943 to sort out the situation, which he did by trucking excess rice from other parts of India that had them. The fact tge Gen. Wavel was able to source grains in India for Bengal region is a testament to the fact that - a) there were surplus food in other oarts of India; b) they could be sent to Bengal.
3) In April 1944 Churchill appealed for ships from the Americans to help transport grains to India but the Americans refused to provide as they have none to spare due to the upcoming Operation Overlord. Again, note that the War was everybody's priority, everything else were secondary. So even the Americans instituted rationing at home.

In any case, nobody disputes the racist behavior of Churchill against Indians, but it was not the cause of the famine. There were several causes and the exegencies of WW2 simply magnified it. But one thing is clear, there was no policy of mass murder by stsrvation against the poorest Bengalis.

 

[Assassin 2.0]

Wherever you have lifted these article from, and you've done a great deal of disservice to its author for not giving the courtesy of a citation or me for deoriving me of an opportunity to scrutinize the document, these claims are cherry picked from quotes of the diary of Amery. The fact is that Britain was engsged in a World Wsr with Hitler and Mossulini in Europe and the Japanese in Asia. The war was the priority for Churchill, everything were secondary.

But what are the facts:

1) Upon being fully aware of the famine, the War Cabinet sent 200,000 tons of grain from Australia to India.
2) Churchill appointed General Archibald Wavell in 1943 to sort out the situation, which he did by trucking excess rice from other parts of India that had them. The fact tge Gen. Wavel was able to source grains in India for Bengal region is a testament to the fact that - a) there were surplus food in other oarts of India; b) they could be sent to Bengal.
3) In April 1944 Churchill appealed for ships from the Americans to help transport grains to India but the Americans refused to provide as they have none to spare due to the upcoming Operation Overlord. Again, note that the War was everybody's priority, everything else were secondary. So even the Americans instituted rationing at home.

In any case, nobody disputes the racist behavior of Churchill against Indians, but it was not the cause of the famine. There were several causes and the exegencies of WW2 simply magnified it. But one thing is clear, there was no policy of mass murder by stsrvation against the poorest Bengalis.

Sad.
Those imports were far far less than required...
And were not even given to poor people

 

[asianobserve]

Facile.
I've quoted multiple primary sources from the British archives including instances where Churchill actively refused aid.

The Irish have done a great job on this. None of the British apologists ask them for this "starvation certificate". Recently, there's a lot of active research coming out of India on the economic and human impact of British colonialism. We'll get there.

Those were not policies or orders. Those were merely observations in a diary and often written out of frustration. As I have no access to the diary I cannot fully gauge the true context of such quotes.

In any case, as I said, 1) there is no official policy or order by Churchill or the War Cabinet to starve the POOREST BENGALIS; 2) the main priority at the time for Churchill was defeating the Germans at all cost. All else were secondary.

 

[asianobserve]

View attachment 47476

Sad.
Those imports were far far less than required...
And were not even given to poor people

Is this from "Churchill's Secret War?" If it is, well the title is a dead give-away on the bias of the author.

 

[Assassin 2.0]

Guy's don't fall into propaganda if Asian observe the food which left Australia was for the army.

@asianobserve

 

[asianobserve]

Please learn the facts asian observe.

Pkease learn to look at things holistically and not cherry pick. As a friendly advise, the no. 1 tip to having an analytical thinking is to leave your prejudices and buases when looking at things.

 

[Assassin 2.0]

Is this from "Churchill's Secret War?" If it is, well the title is a dead give-away on the bias of the author.

No its from university of Michigan

 

[Assassin 2.0]

Pkease learn to look at things holistically and not cherry pick. As a friendly advise, the no. 1 tip to having an analytical thinking is to leave your prejudices and buases when looking at things.

You are the one who is spreading propaganda from churchil. Org and is teaching other about things lamo.

 

[Knowitall]

Pkease learn to look at things holistically and not cherry pick. As a friendly advise, the no. 1 tip to having an analytical thinking is to leave your prejudices and buases when looking at things.

Quite big of you to say this to us. I don't think you are in any capacity to lecture us looking at your post history.