Epilogue or Prologue?

Abstract

American interest in the subcontinent during the 1940s definitely assumed a diverse and complex character. Besides the increased political interest on the part of the State Department, the White House under Roosevelt tried at several points to adopt a stance on the question of self-government for the region. The presidential interest manifested itself both privately and publicly and usually met a rebuff from Churchill. By the time the Truman administration came to power, South Asia was already on the threshold of independence. The American official interest in South Asian affairs emerged predominantly from geo-political and, to some extent, economic considerations. The traditional channels of information on the subcontinent were the American missionaries, academics, journalists and most of all the South Asian expatriates in the United States, and these were now enlarged by more frequent reporting in the media. Congressmen, American military personnel and numerous visitors on both sides gave their opinion about conditions in India, from internal political developments to war and famine.