Item 1 - Telegram from Edwin Montagu to Lord Reading

The debate in the Commons has revealed a hardening in British opinion on Indian affairs. ‘There is an uneasy feeling, possibly strengthened from Ireland, that our Empire is slipping away.’ Unless the Government are able to reassure the public, they will lose their policy. There are similar difficulties with regard to affairs in Kenya. Montagu’s reply to the notification of Gandhi’s non-arrest was drafted in consultation with Chamberlain and the Prime Minister, and they emphasised that Gandhi should not be allowed merely to postpone challenges whenever his arrest became imminent. He believes his speech in the Commons was a success, but he has lost the support of the Northcliffe newspapers.

(Typed, with handwritten alterations. Used for transmission.)