Exile in Europe 109questioning of the legitimacy of colonial conquest in the imperial me-
tropolis. Imperialism could be overthrown through an anti- imperialist
struggle of the colonized or through an internecine con flict among ri-
val imperialists. If the rise of Ital ian imperialism strengthened the latter
tendency, “then Abyssinia will not have suf fered in vain.”^63
To an Indian nationalist, German policy rankled even more deeply
than Italy’s misadventure. “Against Germany, we [Indians] have many
complaints,” he wrote to the poet Amiya Chakravarty, Tagore’s former
secretary. “The other day [in January 1936], I made known my protest,
when I was in Berlin. They worship strength, not weakness. Against It-
aly there are complaints from other standpoints—not from the stand-
point of India’s interest or prestige. But, against Germany, we have
many accusations from India’s standpoint.” He urged the Federation of
Indian Students to issue a “sharp refutation” of Hitler’s recent speech in
Munich, where the Führer had spoken of the destiny of the white races
to rule the world. He himself had sent a statement to the Indian press
supporting a trade boycott against Germany. He could see, however,
that there was “no early possibility of the fall of Hitler’s government.”
“If war breaks out some day,” he wrote presciently, “and the war weak-
ens Germany, then such a fall is possible, otherwise not.” Noting the
clout wielded in Germany by the army and the business lobby, he
hoped that an Indian trade boycott would lead German businessmen
to put pressure on Hitler.^64
These were his views expressed in private to an Indian friend—but
he was equally forthright in his communications on this subject with
his principal German interlocutor, and with the Geneva press. He told
Franz Thierfelder of the Deutsche Akademie that he was returning to
India with “the conviction that the new nationalism of Germany” was
“not only narrow and selfish but arrogant.” He was aware that the Ger-
man government had issued a diplomatic explanation to Japan and
India relating to Hitler’s offensive speech, but he refused to give it cre-
dence, since the British and German press had not published it. He was
still prepared to work for an un der stand ing between Germany and In-
dia, but only if it was consistent with India’s “national self- respect.”
“When we are fight ing the greatest Empire in the world for our free-
dom and for our rights and when we are con fi dent of our ultimate suc-