Letter

Letter from Maj.-Gen. Geoffry Scoones, HQ, Central Command, India, to Auchinleck, on the subject of the INA trials. He states that he has no reason to suspect, from the information available to him, that the INA issue is a really serious matter yet in the Army, but affirms his belief that the flood of propaganda must be stopped before it becomes effective. He recalls that the trials of the INA were restricted to certain categories, because the trial of all of them was not practicable, yet the dictates of justice demanded that the worst cases should be tried because of the loyal men who had suffered at the hands of the INA, and because it was vital to show loyal soldiers that allegiance to their oath was an obligation. He describes his concern that the trials have now become a political issue involving a campaign to stop them or reduce their number. And he expresses his own view that any leniency shown to the offenders will not attain the immediate object of stemming the propaganda. Holograph.