Muckracking Journalist H.L. Mencken Disparages Mahatma Gandhi, Says He Needs a Good Kick in the Crotch

Henry L. Mencken was a journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English, longtime columnist for the Baltimore Sun. Typed Letter Signed, 1 page, Baltimore, October 21, 1931 to Mr. Hart. “A ‘tap on the nose’ is far too polite an attention for Gandhi. I’d much prefer a swift kick where his pantaloons would be if he wore any. Let the Kendall book come along and I’ll be glad to go through it.” Mencken was known for his acerbic style but why he disparages Gandhi in this way is unclear unless it had something to do with their attitudes on civil rights which at this time was a complicated issue.