The Terrible Price of Freedom 203struggle between the new imperial powers and the old. “In the early
part of his stay in Europe,” his deputy A. C. N. Nambiar has written,
“he had more fears of German victory than doubts regarding it.”^2 Hit-
ler’s admiration for Britain was undiminished, and he greatly preferred
forging solidarity among the “Nordic races” to aligning with those he
had derided as “Asiatic jugglers.” Bose’s single- minded absorption in
the cause of India’s in de pen dence led him to ignore the ghastly brutali-
ties perpetrated by the forces of Nazism and fascism in Europe. By go-
ing to Germany because it happened to be at war with Britain, he en-
sured that his reputation would long be tarred by the opprobrium that
was due the Nazis. A pact with the devil: such was the terrible price of
freedom.
Orlando MazzottaIn Kabul, Bose had discussed his plan of an Indian revolution with Pi-
etro Quaroni, the Ital ian ambassador. On April 2, 1941, the day Bose
arrived in Berlin, Quaroni sent a favorable report to Rome on Bose’s
proposals about India. As a “first step,” Bose wanted “to constitute in
Europe a ‘Government of Free India,’ something on the lines of the
various free governments that have been constituted in London.” Qua-
roni had asked Bose about “the possibilities in the field of terrorism.”
According to Quaroni’s report, Bose had replied that “the terroristic
or ga ni za tion of Bengal and other similar ones in different parts of In-
dia still exist,” but he was “not much convinced of the usefulness of
terrorism.” He was, however, prepared to consider sending instructions
about “large- scale sabotage” to impede Britain’s war effort. The en-
counter with Bose had convinced Quaroni about the value of using the
“revolution weapon” with regard to India, “the corner- stone of the
British Empire.”^3
Just a week later, on April 9, Bose submitted a detailed memoran-
dum with an explanatory note to the German government, setting out
the work to be done in Europe, Afghanistan, the Tribal Territory, and
India. He pointed out that the “overthrow of British power in India
can, in its last stages, be materially assisted by Japanese policy in the Far
East.” He wrote with prescience: “A defeat of the British Navy in the Far