THIS work deals with my experiences between January 5 and September 21, 1948, when I was the Agent-General of the Government of India in Hyderabad.

I am in the habit of preserving correspondence, papers, notes and what I call 'diary note', that is, irregularly and hastily recorded impressions of talks, incidents and reflections on events as they occur. I felt that this material, together with further impressions of the events which have been left on my mind, deserves to be put into shape.