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Mahatma Gandhi and Adolf Hitler were two of the most dominant personalities of 20th century — starkly opposite in their philosophy and action, yet they ended up changing the course of history. They never met each other. But Mahatma Gandhi wrote two letters to Adolf Hitler and addressed him as a “friend”. He explained why he called him a friend.

“Dear friend, that I address you as a friend is no formality. I own no foes,” read the opening sentence of the second of Mahatma Gandhi’s letter to Adolf Hitler. This was written on December 24, 1940. His first letter was dated July 23, 1939.

In both the letters, Mahatma Gandhi appealed to Hitler, asking him to end World War II. The first was written at the request of friends while Mahatma Gandhi’s second letter was shot off out of frustration at the expansionist behaviour of Hitler.

In the first letter, Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “Friends have been urging me to write to you for the sake of humanity. But I have resisted their request, because of the feeling that any letter from me would be an impertinence.”

However, he went on to add, “It is quite clear that you are today the one person in the world who can prevent a war which may reduce humanity to the savage state.”