February 15, 1942: Fall of Singapore

Lt. General A. E. Percival surrenders at Singpore

Kux, Estranged Democracies (1993).

  • at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing 10 days after fall of Singapore, the Senators reported to Secretary of State Hull, requesting that: “India be given a status of autonomy….The only way to get the people of India to fight was to get them to fight for India.” (qtd. from FRUS, vol. I, pg. 606-07)

Hess, America Encounters India (1971)

  • in combination with Chiang Kaishek’s visit to India, India’s situation attracted attention of the press, the State Department and Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and caused Roosevelt to raise the India issue with Churchill again (35)
  • Walter Lippmann urged the United States to take more responsibility in the Asian theater of war
  • Berle (asst. Sec. of State) wrote a memorandum following the Fall suggesting the U.S. outline a political settlement between India and Britain (36, FRUS, vol. 1, pg. 602-04)

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