Item 9 - Extract from a letter from Lord Reading to Edwin Montagu

They do not know what Gandhi intends to do at the Conference at Bombay. If he adopts the same position he put forward at Congress meetings they will not have advanced, though it is possible that some influential people will stand against him; on the other hand, it will also hinder their plans if he compromises with some of the moderates. However, Reading does not think he will moderate his demands, as he has committed himself to them too publicly and is obsessed with the notion that he can paralyse Government. The crowding of jails has created numerous problems, and Reading hopes the desire to court arrest will abate. The Budget may cause serious trouble, since the impending rise in taxation will lead to resentment of the presence of British troops, which represent a large proportion of expenditure.