Vaishno Das Bagai Identified as 'Informant No. 1' (Colonial Spy)
Gadar Party insiders at the San Francisco headquarters had grown increasingly suspicious that Bagai was operating as a British spy. Their concerns were later borne out in confidential British Consulate memoranda from 1916, where the Consulate‑General identified Vaishno Das Bagai as ‘Informant No. 1.’ According to dispatches written by Carnegie Ross, Bagai was employed as a colonial informant reporting on the activities of the Gadar Party, the revolutionary organization of Indian immigrants organizing across North America.
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For British Embassy, Washington. 144
Consulate-General, New York.
Dominion Immigration Agt.
Vancouver.
San Francisco
MEMORANDUM
February 11th 1916
It is proposed in future to refer to informants and others under numbers in place of names:
Vaishno Das Dagai, will be referred to as No.1
Jualla Singh, " " " "
J.S.Atwal (elias Jagajit singh) " "
Ram Chandra, " " " "
Lalla Rajput Rai, " " "
Dr. Shastri, " " " "
BRITISH CONSULATE-GENERAL.
THE VICEROY OF INDIA,
DELHI.
For British Embassy, Washington. 254
Consulate-General, New York.
Dominion Immigration Agt.
Vancouver.
MEMORANDUM San Francisco, Cal.
March 23,1916
The informant mentioned in my memorandum of March 10
reports that:
Four(4) has recently had a letter from Har
Dyal written from Constantinople, and that Four(4) is con-
stantly in touch with Har Dyal through the German officials
in Switzerland.
Seven(7) again said that as long as Four(4) was here
they could not expect any further aid from the German Con-
sul as the Consul wished to know how every dollar was spent
and Four(4) only reported verbally and had nothing to show
on paper. Seven(7) stated that some-one close to Four(4)
was suspected of being a British spy, and also others here
associated with the party. (This may refer to One(1))
Seven(7) now stated that there were several people now
being instructed in the making of bombs, but the informant
was unable to find out anything about this. Seven(7) is
very cautious even among his brothers and sisters. The in-
formant thinks he is not in any way implicated in the bomb
schemes, but knows who the people are and where they are
made.
BRITISH CONSULATE-GENERAL.
THE VICEROY OF INDIA,
DELHI.
One(1) = Vaishno Das Bagai
Four(4) = Ram Chandra
Seven(7) = Ishwar Chandra
References
- UK Archives, Foreign Office Letter PRO FO115/2067 (254).