Britain's Gambit

Britain last week gave its hand to India, and with the back of it slapped the faces of the Indian politicos who had rejected Sir Stafford Cripps's offers. Britain gave high defense posts to Indians, concessions similar to those offered by Sir Stafford. But in so doing, Britain ignored both the Indian National Congress party and the Moslem League.

> For the first time in history, the post of Indian Defense Minister went to an Indian -Malik Sir Firozkhan Noon, a Moslem lawyer, onetime Oxford hockey star.

> Two Indians were chosen to sit on Winston Churchill's War Cabinet in full parity with Dominion representatives:

Diwan Bahadur Sir A. Ramaswami Mudaliar, moderate Hindu nationalist, longtime Madras representative in the Indian Legislative Assembly.

Maharaja Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes, representing the rulers of India's 562 semi-autonomous states.

> To the post of Labor Minister went robust Dr. Bhimrao Bamji Ambedkar, leader of India's 60,000,000 Untouchables (low-caste Hindus), Columbia-trained economist and sociologist, who thus becomes the first Untouchable to have Indian rank.

Mohandas Gandhi last week re-emphasized his new faith in arms, said that he wants Allied troops to remain in India for Indian defense and assistance to China. But he also repeated his belief that immediate Indian independence might be "a turning point in the war."

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