John F. Kennedy, Jawaharlal Nehru and India-China War of 1962 and Burma:
Now comes the question and complain of India’s leading strategic expert – Mr. Brahma Chellaney about “US role in India-China war of 1962 and delayed help of John F. Kennedy’s US administration to India”, which he wrote in the Hindi Daily – “Dainik Jagran” entitled, “America Ki Nigah Main Bharat” on 13th of November 2008. Besides accusing John F. Kennedy of not providing a timely sincere help during India-China War of 1962 and his intentions, it also attacked the Prime Minister – Dr. Manmohan Singh on other issues for compromising India’s national strategic interest in the light of growing India-US relations. First I thought to ignore Mr. Chellaney analysis but later I realized that it would be a great injustice not only to great John F. Kennedy and friend of India. But also to Jawaharlal Nehru, who despite being strong believer of ‘common faith’ couldn’t join the Anglo-US alliances to accept secondary role in history and to fulfill the task given by Gandhi to realize freedom of Asia-Africa and Latin America during cold war and also to our humble Prime Minister - Dr. Manmohan Singh, who want to serve best India’s strategic interest as well as also to the meeting of ‘common faith’ of India and United States, where Burma will figure sooner or later openly in official Indian diplomacy to protect the national integrity of Burma.
To correctly understand United States response to the India-China War of 1962 in a true historical perspective, one has to go into those unforgettable moments of history. To decipher it in a correct historical perspective, one has to travel into the geo-politics of Asia in 1962 besides understanding the relations between Jawaharlal Nehru and John F. Kennedy, which become victims of the cold war politics; otherwise both strongly shared the same ethos of ‘common faith’.
Now, if we unfold the unfortunate events on the basis of original facts (on the basis of government facts and personal accounts who lived with the event), the “direct attack” on India by China was started on 21st of October 1962 (date as mentioned by Durga Das, I’m intentionally using the terminology “direct” and for some reasons I’m not explaining it because theme of the article is different and the best man who understood this historical fact long before was another great maker of India - Sardar Patel, who died twelve years before this tragic event on 15th December 1950 and the answer lies in the ten volume’s of “Sardar Patel’s Correspondence” compiled by equally great journalist and historian of India- Mr. Durga Das, published by Navajivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad, January 1974 and one passage said by Patel to Durga Das few days before his death mentioned in his another great historical work – “India from Curzon To Nehru & After”).
The attack was bizarre and unexpected moments of great betrayal for Nehru, who trusted Chinese leadership to forge an alliance to free countries of Africa-Latin America and Asia from the fear of cold-war rivalry and securing security of India. But, he late realized the fact that, meeting of ‘common faith’ and ‘regimented ideology’ is an unnatural alliance, which is bound to fail (which was written in his 19th of November letter mentioned by Mr. Chellaney but still not declassified by the Government of India and in his biography to Nehru, historian S. Gopal refers the content as “Nehru, apparently without consulting any of his Cabinet colleagues or officials, apart from the Foreign Secretary, M.J. Desai, wrote two letters to Kennedy describing the situation as ‘really desperate’ and requesting the immediate dispatch of a minimum of twelve squadrons of supersonic all-weather fighters and the setting up of radar communications. American personnel would have to man these fighters and installations and protect Indian cities from air attacks by the Chinese till India personnel had been trained. If possible, the United States should also send planes flown by American personnel to assist the Indian Air Force in any battles with the Chinese in Indian air space; but aerial action by Indian elsewhere would be the responsibility of the Indian Air Force. Nehru also asked for two B - 47 bomber squadrons to enable India to strike at Chinese bases and air fields, but to learn to fly these planes Indian pilots and technicians would be sent immediately for training in the United States. All such assistance and equipment would be utilized solely against the Chinese”). (1)
Even, Nehru couldn’t comprehend the fact that despite his vision of friendship towards communist China, Peking had been branding his government a ‘running dog of US imperialism’. (2) Mr. Brahma Chellaney in his article mentions two letters written by Nehru to Kennedy for urgent help and delayed response of US administration without mentioning the date of the letter. The concerned desperate two letter’s of J.L. Nehru, which Mr. Brahma Chellaney is mentioning had been written to the US President- John F. Kennedy on 19th of November 1962, which had been received in the Department of State at 4:47 p.m. and relayed to the White House at 5:30 p.m. same day promptly by the US administration. (3) And long before this letter of Nehru which Mr. Chellaney wants to mention, the first John F. Kennedy’s help to India against Chinese aggression had been delivered on 1st of November 1962, even without any specific request made by the Nehru to the United States, which consisted of 40,000 anti-personnel mines, ten lakhs rounds caliber .30 ammunition, fifty-four 81 millimeter mortars with mounts and accessories etc. (4)
Moreover, the US State Department officially released documents indicates that, US State Secretary – Mr. Dean Rusk under Kennedy emphasized that, “the United States viewed the military assistance provided to India in response to the threat posed by China as essential to the security of the entire subcontinent.” (5) Even the telegram from the US Department of State to the Embassy of India indicates, and I quote, “We are prepared to dispatch twelve or more C - 130's (aircrafts) at once to assist in any necessary movement of forces and equipment to Assam area or to Ladakh. This would be US operation with planes, crews support. Request your urgent advice whether Indians prepared to use this transport immediately. Also earliest estimates men and tonnage involved, Special airlift team being dispatched at once,” unquote. (6) Moreover, the Chinese announced the ceasefire after the swift move by US-UK decisions to help India. However, it is true that due to the circumstances and politics of Cold-War and Nehru leading the camp of NAM against the internal desires of forces of ‘common faith’ of US & Britain, they attempted to bargain India taking side of Pakistan after the ceasefire.
But it is important to note, that, the crisis erupted in September 8-9, 1962, long before his letter of 19th of November to Kennedy for help, when some 300 to 400 Chinese troops crossed the MacMahon Line threatening Indian outposts near Dhola, one to two miles inside Indian-claimed territory. (7) However, Nehru didn’t clearly made any appeal to the United States for military help expecting Soviet Russia’s help as wrongly advised by his key lieutenant Krishna Menon, which never came. Nehru, a man of virtue, deeply involved in fostering idealism of Asian brotherhood was cheated and betrayed both by Soviet Union as well as by China during 1962 war. He was cheated because of the mismatch of idealism and values of individual freedom and democracy with the values fathered by Soviets and China, who thought it as an opportune moment to make the nation a regimented society without understanding the values of Indian society having a strong religious faith. He also misjudged the politics and inner designs of regimented ideology of 1962 and wrongly “foresaw that, China and Soviet Russia would clash one day, (8) which never happened?
Even if I accept for a moment the logic of Mr. Chellaney without any historical facts that US delayed help in India-China war of 1962, then why anyone can expect that, United States and Britain would help you in 1962, when you are leading a third alliance of NAM and talking of brotherhood with China against the then contemporary politics of US and Britain’s fight against regimented ideology? So, the new emerging India’s task in the post-cold war scenario is to understand the values in which India – as a nation got created and should support the forces of ‘common faith’ to empower truly democratic nations of Asia-Africa and Latin America (not to the nations, which mislead the world in the name of ‘democracy’, as Russia is actively making ‘consortium’ of regimented society states by hosting meetings and recent special invitee being Cuba) as a bridge between Western Civilization. As well as, India has to stand firmly to guard the common democratic ethos of individual freedom. Strategically relying too much to a nation, whose mechanism of governance and ‘values’ doesn’t match is bound to fail as Soviet help never came in 1962 crisis of India. It also leads to tragic circumstances in which world watched helplessly the ‘open molestation’ of god-like person and genuine humanist – Rev. Dalai Lama of Tibet. The announced proposed trip on fifth of February by US Secretary of State to Asia should not sacrifice the ‘common faith’ at Beijing.
If Kennedy stood with Nehru and whatever help he provided to India in 1962 war crisis, it was his own first initiative to protect the idealism and values of ‘common faith’. Now it is for politician & policy makers’ sitting at New Delhi, particularly the Congress and BJP leadership to understand the importance of values hard earned after many sacrifices from freedom struggle of ‘common faith’ and ‘Gandhian path’ of honesty in public life and dangers looming over it?
And it would be also a grave historical mistake by military council in Burma, if they can’t hear the footsteps of coming course of writings of history. Burma’s military council is making persistent mistake like – Nehru by trusting more the forces of regimented ideology against they fought internally keep Burma united without any knowledge that, they have taken a new strategic uniform through carriers of business organization.
In last post, I wrote that, US should moderate the approach towards Russia and India could be a bridge between Russia and US / Western powers. But I forgot to add one very important word is ‘with caution’. After the end of Soviet Union era, what new Russia in the name of democracy did is to empower the defense and military capabilities of China, knowing well the fact that, it would strategically go against democratic India (please see the data of military supply of Russia to China after the collapse of Soviet Union till date and compare it with their supply to India)? The forces which failed to dislodge ‘common faith’ are now forging new equation in the name of ‘democracy’ in international politics. However, it is a welcome step by Russia to announce in curtailment of military aid to China.
It is important for Anglo-US alliances to equip India with high critical technology of military warfare system to protect the values of ‘common faith’ as Russia had been doing to equip China after the disintegration of Soviet Union. It is also necessary for India to develop its own high-end defence technology of self-reliance. The strategic thinkers sitting at New Delhi should seek investment/donations from India’s industrial corporate giants like – TATA, Reliance, Birla’s etc. for ‘National Defence Production’ of high technology warfare system and I think they would be very happy to do so for the national cause; even common citizens of India will have no problem in voluntarily contributing in it like - little education tax?
Russia besides hosting of many summits of ‘communist states’ since last five years, now started teasing United States that, they are ready to provide non-military supply route to US forces in Afghanistan after the announcement of closure of Manas US air-defence base by Kyrgyzstan government. However, the permanent strategic solution to the problem lies in the restoration of MacMahon Line, which India lost in 1962 due to the politics of cold-war. Will you find any records in Soviet documents of cold war that, they had been any way interested in restoration of MacMahon line despite Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s closeness with Soviet system during cold-war and even after that?
Burma’s joining the forces of values of ‘common faith’ is a natural call of the nation on which it was created. And it doesn’t mean that it has to perform the secondary role of US and India, as values of open society doesn’t permit it. The difference between an open democratic society and regimented society could be well ascertained from fact that, when another unfortunate shoe incident happened in Cambridge University lecture of Chinese Premier, the news didn’t figure in their official media and was strongly censured (although, the event shown all across the world) but the unfortunate shoe incident against US President made first headlines in the Washington Post, the New York Times and Boston Globe etc. of every US media, however both the incidents are highly condemnable and debates should be the purpose.
John F. Kennedy, Bogyoke Aung San and Nehru, the three great personalities and makers of respective nations strongly cherished the same ethos of ‘common faith’ of individual freedom and democracy to establish values of open society like - Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s vision of Burma, which will be explained in coming post? It sometimes surprises to see the news of some ethnic communities of Burma making constitution separately for themselves in the name of ‘self determination’ and ‘democracy’, it pains me. If this nonsense should be allowed then the trend would be that in near future Burma will have ‘one hundred thirty-five’ constitution and ‘one hundred thirty-five Head of States’ and every one running for Visa and Passport for even visiting nearby villages? In addition, this impractical politics also limits the employment and business opportunities of common innocent people. Most importantly, it had been also not the political vision of makers of Burma - Bogyoke Aung San and U Nu. Rather than referring to ‘Panglong’ and ‘Taungyi Conference’ words try to understand the whole political vision of the makers of Burma, which also gives propaganda tool to those who wants to perpetuate the military rule.
End Notes:
- S. Gopal, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vol. 3, pp. 228 - 229
- India from Curzon to Nehru & after, Durga Das with a Foreword by the President of India Dr. Zakir Husain, Rupa and Company, New Delhi, 1973, p. 360.
- US Department of State, Central Files, 691.93/11 - 1962. Secret.
- Central Intelligence Agency, Job 79 R 01012A, ODDI Registry of NIE and SNIE Files, Box 210
- US Department of State, Central Files, 791.56/11 – 1962
- US Department of State, Central Files, 791.5/11 - 1962. Secret
- Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, India, General, 10/15/62 - 10/20/62. Secret
- Note No. 2, p.360
(The End)
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