The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 64
64 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN Sir Samuel Hoare, Secretary of State for India, together with members of his council and other high officials, was at the airport to receive the Viceroy and Vicerine. I paid my respects to Sir Samuel Hoare and he asked me whether it was my first trip from India by air, and I said it was. He had been Secretary of State for Air and was interested in the development of air communications. He asked what my impressions were. I asked, "Do you want to have a frank expression of my views?" and he said, "Of course. " "Well, from Delhi we flew over the Rajputana desert with not a blade of grass or green leaf to be seen and after Jodhpur, over the Sind Desert, again the same thing. Karachi was a well-populated town, and then we flew over the Persian Gulf with bare hills on one side and sand dunes on the other, a few date gardens in Basra, and then along the water, a little bit of greenery, up to Baghdad, and then from Baghdad to Rutba Wells, again the desert, Rutba Wells to Gaza, again the desert, Cairo, of course provided a delightful view at midnight from the air, all the lights and the river. We began to fly the next morning over the Mediterranean, presently we were over the Greek islands, so lovely down below. Then we journeyed through Italy as if through an orchard. I had seen these places before, but had not passed over them so rapidly. The thought that came to my mind was how much more blessed, in the things that make life worth living, are you people in contrast with us who have almost nothing. This was followed very insistently by the reflection, why cannot you settle down to enjoying these things and sharing them together beneficently rather than boil up as you did in the First World War, from 1914 to 1918? And now you are on the brink of war again with Hitler having blatantly proclaimed his programme in Mein Kampf. " Sir Samuel asked, "Zafrulla, do you really think we are heading for war?" "I am absolutely certain, and I will tell you the sort of picture that has come to my mind of the situation in Europe. " "Indeed. " "Well, what is that picture?" "The picture is that you are all in a showboat, floating merrily along on the river, with music and dance and all manner of amusement. You are utterly unconscious that there is a waterfall down below and that you are going to crash into it. " He was very much struck by that. This was May, 1934. He said, "I do not think the calamity is so imminent and that it is unavoidable. On the other hand, we think the danger is not so real. " "It is a matter of feeling. I have told you my feeling. "