Message To America, November 20, 1932

The way America can help in this internal movement of reform is first by understanding and studying the movement and pronouncing intelligent opinion upon it. Even orthodoxy is today sensitive to reasoned opinion, even though it may come from outside; secondly, by placing at the disposal of the reformers the free aid of experts with reference to the economic question. For instance, there is the tremendous problem of carrion-eaters. They will not give up carrion-eating so long as they continue to take charge of dead cattle, which they skin and whose flesh they eat. I have myself tried to find clean and expeditious method of skinning carcasses and making the best use of all the contents of these carcasses. Not wanting to, and not being able to pay for expert assistance, I have been obliged to grope in the dark.

America could easily send us free expert assistance in matters such as I have mentioned, without any ulterior proselytising motives, if only religious-minded men of America could be persuaded to believe that Hinduism, Islam and other great religions are just as true as Christianity and that they do not therefore need destruction but reformation where necessary. The conviction can only come if sober-minded Americans will study the present very big movement.

[Mr. Thornberg, an American, was unable to get an interview with Gandhiji. He then sent autograph books for his signature and asked for a message for America. Gandhiji sent this message from prison.]