Newly digitised records from the Nehru Archives have brought to light a fascinating 1948 correspondence between Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, General Sir Roy Bucher. The letters reveal Nehru’s deep-seated concerns regarding alcohol consumption among officers, a habit he viewed as a threat to both national security and the military’s public image.

On September 21, 1948, just a year after Independence, Nehru wrote to Gen Bucher, noting that while several Indian provinces had already adopted prohibition, he hoped to see the policy gradually introduced into the defence forces.

“You know that it is the Government of India’s general policy to encourage prohibition. In some provinces this has already been adopted.…