From Pearl Harbor to the Cripps Mission

Abstract

The month of December, 1941 proved to be a watershed in both the global war and the bilateral relationship between the USA and the subcontinent. A number of significant political developments took place in both regions, bringing them closer than ever before. Britain, feeling quite isolated and strained in the face of the fascist onslaught, counted on American assistance — particularly after the fall of France and the Japanese advances in the Far East. The Italians were proving a formidable obstacle in North Africa for the British strategists. The American government was forwarding a massive amount of military and economic aid to Britain as the ally in an undeclared war. When Japanese aircraft damaged the American fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the war situation in the Far Eastern theatre underwent a complete change. The Americans feared Japanese encroachment on their possessions in the Philippines, in view of their early victories over the British. With American formal participation in the war, the subcontinent was an important geo-strategic area with its vast potentials in men and material. Naturally, a hectic period of intense military manoeuvres ensued, with port cities like Karachi, Bombay and Calcutta receiving contingents of American troops and battleships.