ABSTRACT
British intelligence had an indirect role in the birth of the Indian National Congress. There are several other reasons which disprove the traditional story about British involvement in the foundation of the Congress. First, the intelligence facilities of the Raj at this time were barely existent, either for domestic or foreign information-gathering. Second, whatever information they provided, it did not lead the Government of India to fear revolution. The Congress found it difficult to secure unity on any but the least controversial issues, such as entry into the Indian Civil Service, increased Indian participation in the legislative process and economic questions. British intelligence had an indirect role in the birth of the Indian National Congress. It is worth recounting this, in order to dispel some of the myths surrounding the secret service of the Raj. Yet there was one precaution against Indian unrest which the nineteenth-century British never took - the institutionalization and systematic use of political intelligence.
