"Where is everybody?" "Having the day off." "Must be the first break they've had for months." "now that we're out of it." "Out of it!" "You Daddy!" "they've got their own government." "and that's how it should be." "Ouch!" "Ah ha!" "Stop!" "Stop!" "Why don't you stop them!" "They're looting those shops!" "or what?" "Do you know that I can't remember the last time that we had dinner together?" "(Mountbatten) Just family." "(Pamela) Just family." "I thoroughly enjoyed it." "Dougie Fairbanks always used to tell me that I should be an actor." "But I ..." "I don't agree." "but you are Dougie Fairbanks." "I could never quite carry that off." "I don't actually like being on show all the time." "I hate it." "next to you two shrinking violets" "I'm a positive glutton for the limelight." "before I go to bed?" "but don't be long All right." "Good night." "darling." "Good night." "Stop!" "Stop!" "Stop!" "Look out!" "Look out!" "Stop!" "Stop!" "Stop!" "Look out!" "Stop!" "What is the matter?" "What is wrong?" "Drive!" "Drive!" "Drive the car!" "I'm telling you to go!" "Get out of here!" "Come on!" "Your Excellency." "V.P.!" "Are you still working?" "Your Excellency." "I don't know whether you have heard of the trouble here in Delhi?" "hasn't there?" "It could hardly be worse." "The authorities have lost control of whole sections of the city." "Both Mr Nehru and Mr Patel feel that this is only the beginning." "to return as soon as possible." "Now look V.P. ... the worst thing I can do is to start haring back to Delhi." "And the last thing the government needs is for me to start interfering." "Is that final sir?" "Both Mr Nehru and Mr Patel are well capable of taking care of this affair on their own." "then they know where to get me." "I will tell them." "But don't bother to change your mind." "If Your Excellency does not return in the next 24 hours it will be too late." "We will have lost India!" "V.P.!" "V.P.!" "you old swine!" "What's all this about?" "sir." "inside." "Delhi is in a state of chaos." "butchered!" "Whole sections of the city in flames. which neither of us is equipped by experience to deal with. would you be interested in hearing my advice?" "That's why we're here." "Very well." "There must be a central authority to combine all efforts." "you must set up an emergency committee." "If you agree ..." "We agree." "I am prepared to head that committee if you invite me to." "don't misunderstand me. less than 3 weeks after independence and not the government are running the committee." "Which might suggest that you are still running the country." "Mr Nehru." "someone has to be in command." "I shall only head this emergency committee at your request." "(Nehru) Very well." "(Patel) We invite you." "You'll want to know how I propose to run it." "All right!" "I shall ask you both if you agree." "That seems fair." "that as there will be no time for argument" "I expect you both to agree at once." "you don't have time ... to pussy-foot around." "If we go down in Delhi   we're finished!" "Very well then ... we are all aware that the situation is grave." "and liable to become worse in the very near future." "The whys and wherefores we can leave till later." "we shall only consider the most immediate steps which must be taken." "Vernon ... will you keep the minutes of these meetings?" "Yes sir." "Copies of the minutes will reach each of you within 2 hours of the end of each session." "Those of you given specific assignments will report in person at the next meeting on what progress is being made." "If we have to spend time preparing reports ... only an assurance that positive action is being taken." "let's get down to business." "Security ..." "General Rees." "Our top priority is to prevent the breakdown of law and order." "I would arrange for several units to police the city." "If you would like him to." "General." "sir." "the telephone system and a radio link with the Punjab." "Mr Patel." "the refugees themselves." "already in the city or due to arrive within the next few days is put at three-quarters of a million." "But we cannot cope with those numbers." "We haven't got sufficient accommodation or facilities. and arrange for the transport to Pakistan of all who wish to go there." "the greatest danger is the spread of disease." "We could not cope." "We do not have enough food or medical supplies." "And far from enough doctors and nurses." "The RAF squadrons still here could fly in the most urgent vaccines and medicines." "there are many... all doing excellent work." "obviously ..." "their efforts would be much more effective if they were co-ordinated." "if I may say... that the organisations were founded by different religious to serve distinct communities." "They will never agree to work together." "Mr Azad." "All we can do is put it to them." "We'll leave that to you and Rajkumari." "Right now!" "Additional transport will be needed to ship in staple foods like grain and rice." "Trucks must be made available by the Ministry of Defence." "Mr Singh." "Your Excellency." "I will take care of it." "RAF transports can drop leaflets informing marauders and looters they will be shot on sight." "Would you like the information sub-committee" "Prime Minister?" "It should certainly do so." "you would like us now to and the larger subject of marshal law." "I would like us to discuss that." "I agree." "I am grateful to you both for meeting me at the station ... but ... why have you brought me here? while you are in Delhi." "That is kind but   I shall only be here for a few days." "and I shall be staying with my children of God." "Bapu." "The sweepers colony is crowded with refugees." "I can still go there." "It's out of the question." "You have not fully recovered from your fast in Calcutta." "You must rest!" "And you have not to be obstinate about it." "Obstinate ... when have I every been known to be obstinate?" "And I have three other rooms like this?" "Gandhiji." "nor a Maharajah." "I could not even sleep here." "But it's the most convenient place for all who wish to see you." "Gandhiji." "Vallabhbhai." "But I cannot refuse a kindness. provided all the furniture is removed." "Your Excellency." "They took all our Muslim domestics and orderlies." "We could do nothing." "at least? they would burn the hospital down." "The staff and my patients are afraid." "There are still snipers around." "Doctor?" "Thank you." "Martin!" "Ma'am   they're already dead." "Attention!" "please continue." "Pammy?" "Yes sir." "I'm working for General Rees." "We've just had this report of an attack on Victoria Zenana hospital." "Is it bad?" "No details as yet ... but it seems as though some of the staff and patients were killed." "Please excuse me." "It is always the weakest who are attacked   the defenceless." "General?" "I can probably explain better if I show you the operation board." "Every reported incident is recorded here." "These black markers show the trouble spots." "the latest reported outbreaks of fighting. the ones under construction." "And the red and green?" "These are the refugee columns moving into and out of India." "sir." "They're exposed to constant hit and run raids." "As if they had not suffered enough." "If we are to offer them any degree of protection to order more army units into these areas." "it must be done." "And more trains to move the refugees." "Of course." "I want as many people as possible off the roads." "General." "are the work of few extremists who only want to stir up fear and hatred ... they can't win." "but it could take us years to recover. ... not as a time of glory  but as a time of horror." "(screams)" "(screams)" "Muslims!" "Muslim sods!" "Murderers!" "We have done nothing." "Hurt no one." "We live here." "Gandhiji!" "Gandhiji!" "Gandhiji!" "Save us!" "Protect us!" "What has happened?" "What is this?" "Bapu." "See how they have butchered our people." "Has there not been enough death here?" "Have you not seen enough horror?" "with your bear hands?" "They're Muslims." "Today ..." "I thought of leaving Delhi to go to the Punjab." "to use what little strength I have left where it seemed most needed." "But even here ..." "... even here   the hatred was only in hiding." "Gandhiji." "Pray for us." "Delhi will burn like Amritsar and Lahore." "Very well ..." "I shall not leave for the Punjab until Delhi is at peace." "And you!" "... you who would kill and maim my children." "and you have learned nothing." "You turn your hand against your brother because they call God by a different name." "Now is the time for me to test the beliefs that have made my life worth living." "And find out whether my people are really worthy of the freedom they have won." "I don't think I ever fully believed it." "Neither did I ... seeing it for myself." "So much missing." "I thank God ... we did not leave India on August fifteenth." "give thanks." "I have rediscovered the meaning of friendship." "And through the other ..." "I have remembered ..." "I have remembered what it is ... to love." "At any other time ..." "Yes." "We both have our duty." "Sometimes it is very   unkind." "In my experience ..." "... lack of information  adds greatly to the fears of the refugee." "One of our most important jobs will be to let them know that ... with your help and cooperation ... we shall soon have an organisation whose only object   is to solve their problems." "You Excellency it would seem most suitable for them to be undertaken by a government department rather than by charitable and welfare groups like ours." "and will continue to do so." "We do not turn anyone away creed or denomination." "we are operating at the limit of our resources. is the bond that already unites you." "Your desire and willingness to..." "care for the needs of others." "Let me remind you of what we're facing. ... centred in Delhi alone." "disease. individually ... will be able to carry out the work that you were formed to do." "Delhi has food supplies for only two more days." "As for medical treatment ... the facilities have been stretched beyond the limit." "are the attacks on the hospitals themselves." "Police and soldiers have been taken away from other essential duties to guard them." "We do not tell you these things to make you despair but to make you aware of the task that faces us." "too great for any government." "It can only be tackled by all of us working together." "Your Excellency?" "I want to unit your separate voluntary organisations into a single working team." "I'm prepared to keep this meeting going all day. your unanimous agreement ... to the formation of a united council for relief and welfare." "We'll concentrate for a time on the camps in the northern provinces. but we will need air transport." "(Elizabeth) Can we get it?" "(Edwina) I can only ask." "they'd better give a damn good reason." "See what that is would you Dilip." "What is it Dilip?" "What are they doing here?" "Your Excellency." "They're afraid for their wives and children so they've brought them secretly into the compound." "They're afraid you will send them away." "I wouldn't dream of it   but there's not shelter here." "We'll find them somewhere better." "those are our own guards firing warning shots." "They'll be quite safe here." "I will speak to the controller and ask them to find better accommodation ... some food and milk for the children." "Move them round to the servants quarters." "We'll have to hunt out some extra bedding for them." "food is going to be in short supply" "We'll have to have strict rationing in the kitchens." "everyone." "And any visiting bigwigs." "It'll do no harm to give our diplomatic guests a touch of austerity." "Might even make them think about how they can help." "just to get them all together in one room was a tribute to the respect they have for her." "I don't think they knew what hit them." "no thanks." "Martin." "Martin!" "Martin!" "Major Gilliatt is wounded inspector." "We must get him to hospital immediately." "Right sir." "Come on man." "How bad is Martin?" "Not as bad as it seemed." "The bullet just grazed his skull." "He's mainly weak from loss of blood." "And how about you?" "I'm perfectly all right." "Just a little shaken." "Well I can't blame you for wanting to see for yourself how things are going." "But I can't do without you." "So be more careful in future." "of course." "I was just thinking it's the 9th September." "Reminds me of another close shave I had." "when was that?" "It was during the blitz." "A German 500 pound bomb dropped just outside our ground floor flat in Westminster. on the night of 9th September 1940." "1954." "well you were lucky." "It was terrible about the driver." "do you know?" "I've no idea." "we must find out." "Do what we can." "Do you know who he was?" "Gurdil Singh." "My driver!" "Gurdil ..." "Oh no!" "Oh no!" "Namaste ... ¿Hindi?" "... mubarak." "Bapuji ... ¿Hindi?" "... mubarak." "Thank you." "Thank you my child." "You will forgive my not rising..." "but it has been a very tiring day." "Gandhiji." "Your Excellency ... Maniben." "You honour me by coming here." "My husband asked me most particularly to bring you his warmest wishes." "I received his charming letter." "That is more than kind enough." "telegrams from all over the world." "Why send congratulations?" "There is nothing but anguish in my heart. ... today of all days." "I'm sure that all will be well." "And didn't you tell me once that you want to live to be 120?" "my dear friend." "I have lost all desire to live long." "I will never give up hope ... ... in an India in flames." "How dare you beat your father in front of a head of state." "Won't you join us?" "I've just come from a 6 hour cabinet meeting." "I don't have the energy." "Is there something on your mind?" "Just a thought." "It occurred to me there is now no reason why the emergency committee can't be phased out and the country returned to its normal government." "No reason at all." "you don't object?" "Patel thought I'd have to talk you into it." "that I have no desire to take over the government" "You know I think I'll join you for a swim after all." "Excuse me a moment." "Good!" "coming out?" "Allah hu Akbar!" "Kashmir?" "it was invaded this evening by a strong force demanding its accession to Pakistan." "They've obviously been sent by Jinnah." "This is an outright act of war." "The tribesmen say their aim is to liberate their fellow Muslims from the rule of the Hindu Maharajah." "This is not a time to play at diplomacy. that this has been planned by Jinnah to get Kashmir for Pakistan." "There's no proof of that yet." "I want our troops sent in at once." "for first thing in the morning." "Nothing can be done until we know the exact position." "And that is your only proposal ... to do nothing?" "Not until we know the exact position." "Why was there no intelligence of this?" "There must have been intelligence reports." "the Pathans could already have taken Kashmir." "Why are our troops not sent in." "I want the troops sent at once." "Any delay could be fatal." "please!" "We must deal with these things in order." "do you have an accurate situation report?" "the invasion was carried out by a surprise attack." "They smashed through the border posts and by late last night had captured the cities of Domel and Muzaffarabad." "But that is only 130 miles from the capital ..." "Srinagar." "Can the Maharaja's army hold them off?" "Extremely unlikely sir." "It'll simply be overwhelmed." "An invasion on this scale must have needed a great deal of preparation." "why we have had no intelligence reports." "Mr Singh." "My opposite number in Pakistan has been sent to London on a mission." "I checked with his staff." "They had no knowledge of preparations for an invasion." "Jinnah planned all this under the noses of his British advisers." "that when it happened his commander-in-chief was out of the way." "Mr Patel." "It's one we have every right to make." "we still have to act under international law otherwise the consequence could be disastrous." "The Maharajah has asked for our help." "We must send in troops at once." "I would advise most strongly against it." "We must at least send arms and ammunition." "Are we to sit idly by and let Jinnah take Kashmir?" "at least not openly." "We know we cannot send Indian troops into a neutral state." "That would give him the excuse to commit the Pakistan army." "Then we would commit the Indian army." "Mr Patel?" "..." "A full scale war?" "If it's unavoidable." "It must be." "Then what do you suggest?" "We are still legally bound by our agreement." "Maharajah Hari Singh must decide... whether he is ready now to make a formal accession to India." "But we must remember that whatever decision he makes by a referendum among his people." "I agree ... and I propose we send our representative immediately." "I suggest V.P.Menon Seconded." "V.P. Will you fly at once to Srinagar put the case directly to the Maharajah and return as soon as possible with his signature?" "Your Excellency." "General Lockhart ... detail two military advisers to go with him to report back on the exact position." "sir." "it may already be too late?" "The military situation is confused." "The tribesmen should have reached Srinagar by this time yet for some reason they haven't." "we might just have time." "I have an urgent meeting with Field Marshal Auchinleck." "Dickie." "and a lot of it." "hundreds of them." "especially around Srinagar." "when the tribesmen get there there'll be a massacre." "I want permission to lift a brigade into Srinagar to protect and evacuate our people." "I'll command them myself." "I can't bring British troops into this." "These countries are independent." "We have no mandate for military operations here." "Then our people in Kashmir are going to be slaughtered." "And it'll be on your head." "Then that's a responsibility I shall have to accept." "If there's going to be any intervention in Kashmir it must be by Indian troops." "No one can estimate the consequences if British forces are involved." "And what do we do?" "Just watch and do nothing?" "Well that's the hardest thing I've had to learn." "But there's something you can do." "Anything he respects you." "how disastrous a war would be between India and Pakistan." "He'd lose half his officers for a start." "His British commanders would resign on the spot." "go and tell him that." "¿Hindi?" "¿Hindi?" "¿Hindi? and he is also passing blood in his stream." "Sounds like dysentery." "Could be." "We'll have to find him a bed." "Rajkumari!" "or not?" "well." "The city of Srinagar is in total panic." "The Maharajah completely demoralised." "He is ready to sign an act of accession on any terms we propose." "He won't go back on it?" "Definitely not." "it is now extremely urgent." "The Maharajah has fled to his winter palace in Jammu." "He has given strict orders to his bodyguards that if the accession order is not there for him to sign by the morning they are to shoot him in his sleep." "V.P." "before his unusual alarm clock goes off." "With pleasure." "You said he had fled from Srinagar." "What's the situation there?" "The tribesmen are only 35 miles away at Baramulah." "They'll move in as soon as they've finished looting." "How many men have been left to defend the city." "sir." "Srinagar has the only airfield where transports can land." "Whatever troops we intend to send in must be flown there immediately." "Well clearly we are going to need more air transport than the air force has available." "I would suggest you issue an order to all Indian civil airlines and head for Delhi." "General?" "sir." "The as soon as I hear from V.P. that the Maharajah has signed" "I want an immediate airlift of the First Sikhs into Srinagar." "Reinforcements will leave at dawn by road tomorrow." "the airport must be held." "sir." "half an hour ago." "who is at Abbottabad waiting to make a triumphal entry into Kashmir. he may have to wait a little longer than he thinks." "These tribesmen had two days to reach Srinagar." "They could have done it in as many hours." "130 miles of undefended road." "The Muslims there would have risen to support them in the Maharajah's palace itself." "But what did they do?" "They stopped to loot every town and village on the way." "And gave Nehru time to fly in his soldiers." "Can't we send in our own troops to support them before Indian reinforcements arrive?" "You're talking nonsense." "We daren't order our regulars in." "our army would fall into pieces without its British officers." "all we can hope for is that these stupid tribesmen will hold on at least to some part of Kashmir." "While I patch together a bargain with Delhi." "I do have to confirm 4 appointments for tomorrow. and the Marchioness Dufferin's Group." "Nehru's been taken ill." "It was kind of you to come." "I don't think you should talk." "We want you to get your strength back." "You must get well." "You must recover." "Now everybody needs you so much." "I am not a military leader." "I have tried to think like Gandhiji." "I've preached non-violence for years." "Even the anger of these last few days has taken all my energy." "I cannot rest." "I cannot stop thinking   that Kashmir could be lost to India forever." "I couldn't face the future if that was so." "I couldn't face the people of India." "Then there's something you should hear." "and begun to push the tribesmen back. and they will not let it go again." "That is news I had not dared to hope for." "I have a great deal to do." "Maybe you'd like to stay for a while?"