"But the US State Department, under pressure from Pakistan and with British support, scuttled the chances of a more lasting India-US alliance"
This is unfair and one-sided. Don't you think Nehru himself was to some extent anti-west and anti-American? Perhaps Nehru had his own principled reasons for taking such positions, but idealism is not always pragmatic.
Re: Unfair assessment
by aam admi on Dec 13, 2012 10:44 AM
Nehru was fooled by China again and again and He in his day dreaming enjoyed self imposed 'Pancheel Principles" when the China was Swallowing the Tibbet and even after a gap of about 12 years China made a humiliating attack on India. True when denied any assistance from Russia, we were left at the mercy of China with no arms and ammunition left in India to Match China as our Ordance Factories which were meant to produce arms and ammunition, were making Cosmetics. True it is US whose Helicopters and active intervention prevented China to venture further.But Nehru's slumber was not over even after that, he rejected the offer of US assistance to make Atom Bomb, before China's production to counter balance China's threat.
It is difficult to say what went in the background diplomacy and politics before, during and after the 1962 debacle. To me it is not important at all how USA or UK positioned themselves. It is a waste of time trying to read through the minds of their politicians of that time. The important issue was how Indian leadership failed in defending the country agains the Chinese attack. Our intelligence failed, lawmakers failed, politicians and their secretaries failed and at the end the military leadership failed because they were handpicked by Jawharlal Nehru who had no experience to deal with the military in the first place. The Chinese leadership on the other hand were all military experts themselves including Mao and Zhou En Lai. It is amazing that analysts are still doing post mortem of that debacle placing such high value to what USA or UK did or did not for India.
Finally someone has the gumption to give Uncle Sam due credit where credit is due. Fact is, very little has changed since...the idiots presently running things are no better than that arrogant idiot (he who saw himself as self-appointed champion of global anti-imperialism, never missing a chance demonize the US) running things then...with their heads perennially up their you-know-what.
right from the day of independence, Nehru and his coteries, the left communist parties were calling USA imperialists, and all other names and derived satisfaction from it. they nationalised the burmah shell and standard vccuum oil co. and their ire was towards the USA and English MNCs of the days and to deride the USA. India formed a nonaligned camp with Sukerno, Nasser, Tito and Castro and harassed USA. it gave no benefit to India!
but still the USA gave under a Public law millions of dollors woth of food stuff, wheat, milk powder etc. that was handy in times of frequent draught in various parts of India! the draught were frequent and it reduced only when the High Yielding hybrid Seeds and short term crops of nobel laurette Borlaugh were introduced and became the main crop pattern!
now we try to legislate FDI in retail. and invite USA to invest in India!
our top leaders right from Nehru had no vision! he continuously turned blind eye towards school education! the reason the poor, illiterate and the unemployed from Bihar and eastern UP throng Mumbai for sustenance and are not welcome, is Nehru!
Re: India USA relation ship in 1950s and early 60s
by paul sebastian on Dec 09, 2012 12:03 PM
Who invite US to invest in India and sell gorcery? It is in the interest and pressure from US that the puppet PM stick to the cause and made it possible.
Anil is too young to have been around in 1962. I wonder where he gets is impression that Nehru was "panicked." Could it perhaps be the infamous radio address where Nehru regretted not being able to do more for the residents of Northeast India during the Chinese invasion?
State Deptt declassified documents (2004) confirmed earlier revelation that at the halfyearly meeting of Sino-US ambassadors in Warsaw in June 1962, US assured China tht there would be no attack on China's east coast from Taiwan. Promptly , China withdrew 500,000 troops from east coast to Tibet. 3 months later there was war.India was unaware of this development following sino-soviet split of 1960.As R K Nehru recorded in 1968, our MEA assessed that both US and Soviets supported India. The first Chinese attack occurred on oct 10th 1962. On Oct 14th, M J Desai, Foreign Secretary told Galbraith tht there would be no war, "as they fear you (US)". Galbraith did not clarify that US had already given comfort to China three months before.