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Mahatma Gandhi did not visit the United States of America, but it was a country in which he showed great interest and where he had numerous admirers and friends. Hundreds of Americans visited him in his ashrams in India and he received thousands of letters from all over the United States. He wrote in a letter to American friends in 1942:

“I have in America perhaps the largest number of friends in the West-not even excepting Great Britain.”

He replied diligently to all correspondents, usually in his own handwriting, spending much of his precious time every day for this purpose. He wrote from prison when he was permitted by the authorities and even during his convalescence and fasts.

This compilation includes the texts of all available letters and telegrams by Gandhi ji to Americans and summaries of letters to which he replied, together with biographical information of the correspondents. Though only a fraction of his correspondence is now available, it provides an indication of his thinking on many aspects of life.

It is hoped that this book will help in understanding Gandhi ji’s dialogue with America and Americans on his philosophy of truth and non-violence, a dialogue which has had a significant impact on American social movements.