Shameful Flight

Here is the dramatic story of a truly pivotal moment in the history of India, Pakistan, and Britain, an event that ignited fires of political unrest that still burn in South Asia. Ranging from the fall of Singapore in 1942 to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, Shameful Flight provides a vivid behind-the-scenes look at Britain's decision to divest itself from the crown jewel of its empire, revealing how the headlong rush to disengage from India sparked a catastrophe that uprooted over ten million people.

Stanley Wolpert is Professor of History Emeritus at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of Gandhi's Passion, Nehru: A Tryst With Destiny, Jinnah of Pakistan, and A New History of India.

INTRODUCTION CH. 1 FROM THE FALL OF SINGAPORE TO THE FAILURE OF CRIPPS'S MISSION, FEBRUARY-APRIL 1942 CH. 2 FROM CRIPPS'S FAILURE TO THE FAILURE OF CONGRESS'S "QUIT INDIA," APRIL-OCTOBER 1942 CH. 3 FROM GANDHI'S FAST THROUGH THE FIRST YEAR OF WAVELL'S VICEROYALTY, JANUARY 1943-JULY 1944 CH. 4 SUMMIT FAILURES AND CABINET OBSTACLES, AUGUST 1944-JULY 1945 CH. 5 FROM THE END OF WORLD WAR II THROUGH THE CABINET MISSION, AUGUST 1945-JUNE 1946 CH. 6 THE INTERIM GOVERNMENT, JUNE-DECEMBER 1046 CH. 7 LORD MOUNTBATTEN'S LAST CHUKKA, APRIL-JUNE 1947 CH. 8 PARTITIONED TRANSFER OF POWER, AUGUST 1947 CH. 9 FREEDOM'S WOODEN LOAF, AUGUST-OCTOBER 1947 CH. 10 INDO-PAK WAR OVER KASHMIR, OCTOBER 1947-JULY 1948 EPILOGUE NOTES/ BIBLIOGRAPHY