§ 6. Major-General SIR ALFRED KNOXasked the Secretary of State for India if he will call for a report from the Government of India regarding the progress of Indianisation in the Indian Army, and publish the opinions of competent officers regarding the fighting value of the new units?
§ Sir S. HOARENo, Sir. The time has not come for judging the success or failure of the experiment. In any case, it would be contrary to every precedent to publish reports on the fighting value of individual units.
§ Sir A. KNOXSurely several years have passed since this process of Indianisation was commenced; and is it not necessary, as the process involves the axing of a large number of British officers, to ascertain whether it is on the right lines or not?
§ Sir S. HOAREI should not agree that the process calls for the axing of a large number of British officers. I should say that obviously the experiment has not yet sufficiently advanced for a conclusion to be drawn from it, when it is remembered that no Indian officer, as far as I am aware, has yet reached the rank of a company commander or a squadron commander.
§ Sir A. KNOXWhat is the opinion of British commanding officers as to the possibility of the scheme being a success? Can we know that?
§ Sir S. HOAREI have already said that it is generally held in military and civil circles that the experiment has not reached a point at which one can draw a conclusion.