V.D. Bagai's Report Cited in SF Hindu–German Conspiracy Trial Proceedings

In San Francisco, Bagai worked closely with the British Consulate, spying on the activities of the Ghadar Movement in California under the guise of being a committed member of Ghadar Party. On July 8, 1917, the San Francisco Examiner reported, "Federal grand jury indicted 105 persons [Ghadar members as well as German operatives] for plotting here a rebellion in India." During a police raid of the Ghadar headquarters in San Francisco, all staff members were arrested. However, Vaishno Das Bagai, a close friend of Ram Chandra and the finance manager of the Ghadar Party, was never charged or mentioned by the prosecution during the Hindu-German Conspiracy Trial, which took place from November 20, 1917 to April 24, 1918. Bagai escaped prosecution, having provided assistance to two prominent British intelligence officers-Norman Thwaites and Robert Nathan-who collaborated with Carnegie Ross and played instrumental roles in aiding the U.S. Bureau of Investigation (BOI) during the trial. Operating under the alias "Alleyne Ireland," Thwaites passed along key intelligence from informant Bagai, exposing Ghadar Party internal activities and finance details. Nathan, using the alias "Hale" and drawing on his experience as a retired Indian Police officer, was seated beside U.S. Attorney John Preston throughout the trial, offering strategic insights and confidential reports (compiled by Thwaites). Vaishno Das Bagai played an instrumental role in helping the British crush the Ghadar Movement by identifying party finances, leadership roles, and various party activity details which were used in 10 the trial that led to the conviction of 29 individuals. Among those found guilty were 14 Indian nationals who were sentenced to lengthy periods of incarceration.11 These convictions ultimately broke the back of the Ghadar Movement's dream of freeing India from British rule, delaying the inevitable by forty years.