By Anuj Dhar

The 56 years that Subhas Chandra Bose has been 'dead' have outnumbered his official 'living' years.

And just before you think it is about time the nation got over it, here's something that just won't let Bose's 'death' on August 18, 1945 sink in.

Declassified documents show that even in 1964, at the level of US Secretary of State, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had reservations about Subhas Bose's death and was mulling over the possibility that Bose might return to his homeland.

The CIA had not been talking of some sort of a resurrection. It simply never believed that Bose died in Taiwan.

In its incarnation as Office of Strategic Service (OSS), it had been keeping a close watch on Bose's daring moves after his great escape from Calcutta in 1941.

A memorandum to the State Department on July 1946, almost a year after Bose's 'death', states that "a search of our files indicates that there is no information available regarding subject's (Bose's) death that would shed any light on the reliability of the reports mentioned in the reference inquiry to the State Department".

Earlier, in May 1946, an airgram to the Secretary of State dwelt on the impact of Subhas Bose's return to India. The agent, whose name has been blacked out along with other vital details, writes that someone approached him "several days ago on the question of Subhas Chandra Bose. ... (censored) ... said that the hold which Bose had over the Indian imagination was tremendous and that if he should return to the country trouble would result which in his judgement would be extremely difficult to quell."

"According to ... (censored) ... it should be reasonably easy to establish beyond the shadow of a doubt whether Bose is dead or alive."

Originating in Bombay, the airgram was received in Washington D C on June 3, 1946, at 2.13 pm. It concludes saying: "If the (State) Department could furnish any information on this subject (Bose's death), it would be most helpful to this Consulate General ... (censored) ... positive proof of some kind that Bose is dead would be most interesting."

However, it is the documents of the 1964 vintage that are most astonishing. That the CIA should even discuss Subhas' 'return' in the 20th year of his 'death' is quite astonishing. Dated February 27, 1964 and heavily censored, this particular document just about manages to import the crux of the matter.