‘One Man Lobby’? Propaganda, Nationalism in the Diaspora, and the India League of America During the Second World War

Abstract

ABSTRACT During the Second World War, Indian nationalists and the British government engaged in a fierce propaganda war to win over American public opinion concerning Indian political demands. In spite of its comparatively limited resources, the India League of America – which began as a small group of nationalist-minded Indians in New York in 1937 – achieved remarkable success in cultivating American support. It did so by harnessing sophisticated public relations strategies, building strong ties with prominent Americans, and engaging in intensive lobbying in Washington, DC. The India League’s success, which has been largely overlooked by scholars, provides a new dimension for understanding Indian wartime political developments, highlighting the roles played by Indians in the American diaspora. Moreover, the India League’s story demonstrates the fundamentally transnational orientation of Indian nationalism. Indians in the diaspora played a critical role in sustaining international networks of support for India’s freedom and, simultaneously, the diaspora remained firmly embedded in Indian nationalist consciousness. The India League’s activities, furthermore, had vital post-war consequences: its leaders, especially J.J. Singh, helped consolidate a pro-Indian constituency in the United States that sustained bilateral relations after 1947 and helped put the Indian diaspora in America on a firmer political and legal footing.