Talks with Sri Aurobindo

4 JULY 1940

NIRODBARAN: Today is the date of expiry of the armistice terms.

SRI AUROBINDO: No, two days more are there, except for two ports.

NIRODBARAN: The Pondicherry Governor seems to be backing out from his previous stand.

SRI AUROBINDO: Looks like that; the stand is becoming a "seat" now.

SATYENDRA: He made a diplomatic statement ending with "Long live Britain and France" and saying that he would align himself with the British —but without repudiating the Pétain Government.

NIRODBARAN: Why is he backing out now?

SRI AUROBINDO: Frightened, I suppose. Except Djibouti Caledonia, both tiny places, all the other colonies are undecided.

NIRODBARAN: Perhaps the British will capture Pondicherry.

SRI AUROBINDO: For that they will have to have an excuse; for example, Nazi agitation here.

SATYENDRA: Even the British Government is hesitating about the Pétain Government.

SRI AUROBINDO: Yes, if they had formed an alternative Government then it would have been easier.

SATYENDRA: All the leaders seem to have been unable to leave France.

SRI AUROBINDO: Except Blum; he must have brought away some money with him.

SATYENDRA: Gandhi has offered his help, through the Viceroy, to the British Government and has asked them to lay down their arms and practise non-violence.

SRI AUROBINDO: He must be a little cracked.

SATYENDRA: While asking them to lay down their arms, he wants them to keep up their spirit.

SRI AUROBINDO: And be subjugated in practice!

NIRODBARAN: The French papers are being governed by Goebbels, it seems, and Le Matin has already started its campaign against the British.

SRI AUROBINDO: Le Matin is a government-aided paper. Most of the French papers are aided. During the Abyssinian campaign Italy bought up almost all the papers in her favour.

SATYENDRA: After a long time the judgment on the Bombay prohibition case has come out.

SRI AUROBINDO: Yes, the judges seem to be fond of drink. Are they going by the amendment of the Abkari law? It seems clear that if the Congress Government came back, it would have no control over the import of foreign liquor.

PURANI: No, because export and import become a reserved subject.

EVENING

Radio news: Most of the French fleet has fallen into British hands. Only at Oran in North Africa has the French fleet resisted and a naval fight is going on between the British and the French.

SRI AUROBINDO: This is what is called "coup de tonnerre".

SATYENDRA: The British move is quite logical in pursuance of their blockade. They said all French ports are under blockade.

PURANI: The French could have simply said they had been over-powered and so surrendered to the British fleet.

NIRODBARAN: Fleet means what?

PURANI: Some naval units.

SRI AUROBINDO: Oran is a big port in North Africa.

NIRODBARAN: Now the colonies may buck up.

SATYENDRA: Yes.

SRI AUROBINDO: The Pondicherry Governor is sliding towards the Pétain Government. But the British have now shown they won't stand any nonsense.

NIRODBARAN: The only thing now, perhaps, is that French soldiers will be used against the British because of the naval fight between them.

SATYENDRA: What can be done? It has to be done sooner or later.

SRI AUROBINDO: But will the French fight for Germany? There won't be any later as they are already in German hands.

PURANI: Moreover, after demilitarisation it has to be seen how much vim is left in them.

SRI AUROBINDO: Why is this fleet trying to go to France to be demobilised instead of having it done by England?

PURANI: Perhaps they are Fascist.

SATYENDRA: No reply to Gandhi's offer? (Laughter)

SRI AUROBINDO: But the British are now demobilising the French fleet. The French can lay down their arms and go home.

PURANI: Grazziani is being sent to Libya.

SRI AUROBINDO: Yes. It was he who established peace in Libya by killing all the people who resisted. Do you know about the will?

PURANI: What will?

SRI AUROBINDO: The will that has been found in Balbao's plane. People are asking how the will could have remained intact when everything else was burnt and why Balbao would have carried a will with him. If it is a suicide, why would he have committed suicide with ten people?