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letters from Mills to Archer about the future of the Konyaks |
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I am sending Pawsey, with a copy for you, a memorandum I have drafted on the Advisory Sub committee vis a vis the tribal areas. In it I show the absolute necessity of keeping the tribal and excluded area cases completely separate. This is based on the advice of Sir B.N. Rau, though he asked me not to quote him by name. |
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Adams says you may find it difficult to restrain members of the N.N.C. from speaking for both the tribal and excluded areas. Imlong will doubtless wish to speak for the Changs, among whom he shows no desire to live. |
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The important thing, I think, is not to let the two cases be heard at the same time, and so be muddled up. If individual Nagas, who happen to be members of the N.N.C. want to air their views on the tribal area at the proper time it will not matter much, provided the tribal area people put their own case direct. The tribal areas are virtually in the position of States (to use Rau's own words), and though a single advisory committee is dealing with both tribal and excluded areas the same tribesmen obviously cannot speak for both. |
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The Deputy secretary going round with this circus is Rama Dhyani, a C.P. Civilian. Quite a nice fellow, with a fair allowance of brain, but obviously with his own future only in view. |
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I told him that no transfrontier Konyak of any standing would dream of coming to Mokokchung, and he said some of the Subcommittee might go up to Wakching, where they could be got in. You certainly ought to go with them, both - to see that Wakching don't attempt to decide the future of, say, Chen, and to act as spokesman for the transfrontier people. I will tell Johnie Walker, whose job it technically is and who will be producing other Konyaks later on. |
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I've tried to explain to Rama Dhyani that the word 'Konyak' is applied to a number of tribes, which differ a good deal from each other. |
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I am pretty sure the Subcommittee will listen to you, and in any case I think the tribal area could insist in putting their case through you if they wish. |
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The Subcommittee is in a tearing hurry and proposes to have its report by the end of June. With any luck Nehru will come along later. He is a man who will listen to sense, and what he decides is what really matters. Rau knows him and is going to talk to him. Rau is also going to tackle his opposite Burma number, who is in Delhi, and see if he can get the Burma boundary question settled ... |
