One of Many Espionage Reports by Vaishno Das Bagai Undermining the Ghadar Party

Memorandum from the San Francisco British Consulate to the Viceroy on Information Supplied by Vaishno Das Bagai while serving as a colonial informant for the British Empire.

This report, dated 25 January 1916, documents Ghadar Party activities for the San Francisco British Consulate and represents one example from Vaishno Das Bagai’s extensive series of intelligence submissions.

Note: This is only one sample from Bagai's extensive body of reports. His intelligence work contributed to the long-term imprisonment of numerous revolutionaries, and at least two were executed as a direct result of the information he supplied.

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Transcription

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                                                      90

                              H. B. M. Consulate-General,
                        
                                     San Francisco.
                              
                                    25th January, 1916.

                              JAN 31 1916 [Stamped]

      Sir:
            I have the honour to transmit herewith enclosed
      copy of a memorandum which has been addressed to His
      Excellency, the Viceroy of India, on the subject
      of information given by V. S. Bagai [V. D. Bagai].




                              I have the honour to be,
                                    Sir,
                              Your most obedient,
                                    humble Servant,
                              
                              H. M. Consul-General
His Excellency,
      The Right Honourable
            Sir Cecil Spring Rice, G.C.V.O., K.C.M.G.,
                  etc., etc., etc.,
                        H.B.M. Ambassador
                              at Washington


                                                      91
Embassy, Washington.
Consul-General, New York
Dominion Immigration Agent,
Vancouver.

                              San Francisco, Cal
                                    January 24th 1916

                 Memorandum of information given by V.D. Bagai

      1.    Ram Chandra Is looking for a native to send to British
            Guiana to preach his seditious gospel there. He has been
            in communication with Lalla Rajput Rai in regard to it
            and this man approves of this new step.
      2.    Ras Behari Bose and Gupta, who were ordered to leave Japan,
            being unable to get a steamer to the United States are still in Tokyo,
            and living in the house of the Japanese Cabinet minister.
      3.    Ram Chandra Has telegraphed or attempted to telegraph
            $300 to Bhagwan Singh in Pekin. Bhagwan Singh has taken
            the name of Amar. The money was to be sent to the Deutsche
            Asiatic Bank. Bhawan Singh has telegraphed for the money to sent through some other bank.
      4.    Bhagwan Singh Has been paid 1000 yen by Ras Behari Bose.
            He is in China working with a Bengalee called Sarkar
            and he has been in communication with the Chinese revolutionaries so that he could learn how they were working.
      5.    Two Gujaratis arrived here from India, about the 21st
            instant. They had been working with Arvindo Ghosh in
            India. They will now be employed on the Gaddar newspaper here.
      6.    Lalla Rajput Rai He has written a book on British rule. in India. He
            published one in Japan, a copy of which is enclosed. (only one copy
            available).



                                                         92
                              (2)

      7.    Ram Chandra is now " monarch " of the Ghadar Party.
            on his return from the Stockton meeting he called to-
            gether the staff of the paper here, about twelve men,
            and told them they had to sign a document authorizing
            him act absolutely as he pleased. All but four sign-
            ed, these were Nella Singh, Nidhan Singh, Gordat Singh, and
            another, name unknown. As they refused to sign, he dis-
            missed them from his employ.
             Lalla Rajput Rai was consulted about this, and dis-
            approved of their being treated harshly, but he is to
            talk to them and point out their error of their ways, and
            endeavor to keep them friendly, as he considers it would
            be undesirable to allow them to bear any resentment and
            carry on an unfriendly propaganda, as they probably would
            unless pacified.

              Ram Chandra has all official correspondence address-
            ed P.Ramsay, C/O Mr. Lewis, 1901 Baker Street, San Francisco,
            where he used to live at one time. His actual private ad-
            dress is 4136 Twenty Fourth Street, San Francisco, his
            wife expects to be confined shortly.

            The next Ghadar meeting Is to be held at Jersey Is-
            land, California, on the first Sunday in February.

      8.    S.S. Sarna, whose real name is Sujan Singh, who arrived
            in San Francisco with Lalla Rajput Rai, has been allowed
            to land by the immigration authorities. He is now at
            Stockton making propaganda. He is a native of Rawel-Pindi.
            He is no longer a Sikh having had his hair cut off when
            He was in Japan.


                                                                 93
                                      San Francisco, Cal.
  
                                     (3)

              With reference to the information given by agent, Bagai, Para-
            graph 3: - This information to in accordance with what I
            was told by the Manager of the Hong-Kong and Shanghai
            Banking Corporation, namely, that he had been asked by the
            Postal Telegraph Company to cable $300 to J. Amar, ℅
            Deutsche Asiatic Bank, Tienstin, China.
            
              Today, January 24th, the Postal Telegraph Company
            advised the bank that the payee had cabled that he had
            not received the money and asked for a refund which the
            The bank refused to give. I informed the manager who J.Amar
            was in order that he might be on his guard.

            (Note to Paragraph 3)

            Sarkar Is the man referred to in my memorandum
            on December 28th 1915.

                 Francis R. Lynn, #11308 ex Sergeant Major, Royal En-
            gineers, last service 7th Company, Royal Engineers, Halifax,
            Nova Scotia, speaks Hindustance fairly fluently. Resides
            at 247 Bismark Street, San Francisco.

                  He is a peddler of sweets whose business leads him
            into "Red Light" district states: that Har Dyal
            is a in Turkey and that the Japanese are assisting the se-
            ditious natives with arms.
           
            (This man Lynn is willing to obtain and communi-
            cate any further information he may get hold of. )
                                
                                    BRITISH CONSULATE-GENERAL