1942.04.12 “Ex-conscientious objector”
by Ralph Lee (1906-1947)
14.7 x 23.3 in., ink on board
Coppola Collection
Ralph Lee was an editorial cartoonist for the Portland Oregonian. He died suddenly, at 41, in January 1947. His cousin, Art Bimrose, was the editorial cartoonist for the Oregonian for more than three decades. In 1937, the Oregonian hired him part-time to work on printing plates. Following Lee’s death, Bimrose was hired as the Sunday editorial cartoonist.
During March–April 1942, Britain was scrambling to secure Indian support as Japan advanced through Southeast Asia. Indian leaders—especially Congress figures—were pressing hard for an “immediate national government” as the price of full wartime cooperation. The Cripps Mission would arrive later in April (April 22), but the debate was already public and heated: fight now for Britain or hold out until India’s political status was clarified.
Labeling India a former conscientious objector implies that India’s previous reluctance to fight Axis powers was moral or political, not cowardly. India wants not just to fight, but to fight as an equal, with recognized authority.
The United Nations soldiers (note the early use of the term, formalized January 1942) are already marching forward, disciplined and armed. India is literally running to catch up, suggesting delay has consequences.
From an American editorial standpoint, the cartoon gently pressures Britain: if you want India fully in the war, you must address its political demands.
