M. O. Mathai

Mundapallil Oommen Mathai (1909 – 28 August 1981[1]) was the Private secretary to India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru from 1946 to 1959, when he was forced to quit following the charges of corruption.[2][3] He is also known for his collaboration with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA),[4] and for writing politically motivated memoirs in Reminiscences of the Nehru Age (1978) and My Days with Nehru (1979).

Early life

Mathai was born to a traditional Marthoma Syrian Christian family in central Travancore.

Career

Mathai used to work for the United States Army in India, before becoming the Private Secretary to Nehru in 1946.[1][5] He resigned from his post in 1959, after the Communists accused him of misusing his power to commit financial fraud.[1][6]

He died on 28 August 1981, in Madras (now Chennai), due to a heart attack at the age of 72. [7]

Controversies

CIA connection

Mathai is noted to have worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In 1959, Mathai was forced to quit as Nehru's secretariat following the charges of corruption.[2] The Cabinet Secretary Vishnu Sahay investigated the case and was convinced that Mathai had compromised every file since the days of the Interim Government of India.[4]

Books

Mathai wrote two books, Reminiscences of the Nehru Age and My Days with Nehru, during the rule of the Janata alliance government formed after ousting of Indira Gandhi's government.[8][9]

The book Reminiscences of the Nehru Age has a total 49 chapters, some on Nehru's work and personal life and some on the various people that Mathai met.[10][11][12][13][14] Mathai had falsely proclaimed himself to be "Nehru's Special Assistant" in the book, and added that "the book is not history or biography, but chatty stuff containing my reminiscences".[15] The chapter 29 named 'She' was blanked and a note was appended in place.[10] The contents of the chapter has since birthed intense speculations.[16] T V Rajeswar, former chief of Intelligence Bureau has since claimed of receiving a copy of the chapter from M. G. Ramachandran and duly submitting to then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi; he claims to have not read the contents.[16][10] The blanked chapter claimed affairs Indira Gandhi had with other people and chapter also concerned the Gandhi family in general.[17] Demands for the ban on the book were made during the Janata alliance rule but Morarji Desai refused these suggestions.[15] His second book "My Days with Nehru" failed to gain any traction.[15] Inder Malhotra noted that "Few books in India have got such bad reviews as Mathai's did."[18]

Bibliography

  • Reminiscences Of The Nehru Age by Mathai M.O, 1978. Vikas Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7069-0621-9. (online)
  • My Days With Nehru by Mathai M.O, 1978. Vikas Publishing. (online)
  • Biography of M.O. Mathai by Akansha Ashish. Abhisekh Publishing, 2025. ISBN 978-81-973227-8-5.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Associated Press (31 August 1981). "M.O. Mathai, a Top Official In India During Nehru's Rule". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  2. 1 2 Gopal, S. (2014). Jawaharlal Nehru: A Biography Volume 3 1956-1964. Random House. p. 188. ISBN 978-1-4735-2189-6.
  3. ↑ People: M.O. Mathai Nehru Archives.
  4. 1 2 Akbar, M.J. (1988). Nehru: The Making of India. Viking. p. 513. ISBN 978-0-670-81699-6.
  5. ↑ "Ottawa Social Notes". Montreal Gazette. 24 October 1949. p. 18. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  6. ↑ "Nehru's secretary answers attack by Communists". The Guardian. 17 January 1959. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  7. ↑ "M.O. Mathai, a Top Official In India During Nehru's Rule". The New York Times. 31 August 1981. Retrieved 5 February 2026. Mr. Mathai, one of the most powerful Indian officials during the Nehru era
  8. ↑ KK, Satyavrat (23 October 2016). "Time to lift the ban on what Nehru's aide wrote about him and his contemporaries?". Scroll.in. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  9. ↑ Joshi, Chand (28 February 1978). "Book review: Reminiscences of the Nehru Age by M.O. Mathai". India Today. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 "'A chapter' with Indira". The Telegraph (Kolkata). 22 September 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  11. ↑ Akbar, M.J. (18 December 1988). "Nehru and The Lady". The Observer. p. 32. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  12. ↑ Grant, Bruce (12 July 1980). "Nehru and the in-built system of poverty". The Age. p. 25. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  13. ↑ Newsweek International (8 February 1978). "Himself". Edmonton Journal. p. 5. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  14. ↑ Associated Press (28 August 1980). "Mountbatten Biography Alleges Lady-Nehru Affair". The Victoria Advocate. p. 25. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  15. 1 2 3 Niazi, Z. (1994). The Web of Censorship. Oxford University Press. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-19-577543-3.
  16. 1 2 "A missing but not closed chapter in the life of Indira". Hindustan Times. 27 September 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  17. ↑ Assisi, Charles (16 July 2017). "The 'escapades' of Indira Gandhi, the 'romance' of Roger Federer". Livemint. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  18. ↑ Falk, B. (2016). Feroze The Forgotten Gandhi. Roli Books. p. 110. ISBN 978-93-5194-187-3.
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