SinoIndusFriendship
BANNED
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2009
- Messages
- 2,387
- Reaction score
- 0
Please no flaming. This thread is neither pro nor con this or that. Even though this is written by Moin Ansari, he merely only restates the book. This is an excellent NEUTRAL factoid about history. I highly encourage a unbiased free mind when reading this, as it provides insights to today's complex international relations. Bye.
Book Review: Nixon, Indira and India: Politics and Beyond by Kalyani Shankar
Posted on January 24, 2010 by Moin Ansari
This book provides a fascinating insight into the Nixon era and India. It will serve as a good material for researchers. The secret documents (now declassified) appended at the end of each chapter reveal several hitherto unknown facts about the Indo-American relationship during the Nixon era. Nixons political maneouverings to achieve his goals in China at the expense of India are evident. His partnership with Dr. Kissinger in sharing political power is apparent in his conversations with his aides.
There are four important chapters in this book. The secret documents pertaining to the diplomatic visit of Nixon to India in 1969 and Indira Gandhis visit to Washington in 1971 provide a deep understanding of the American strategy and the personalities of both the leaders.
The top-secret documents reveal for the first time important facts about the Sino-Indian War of the 1962 and the Indo-Pak War of the 1971. The conversation between Nixon and the Chinese leaders Mao and Chou En Lai provides an insight into the Sino-Indian relations. These documents also reveal the normalisation process between the US and China.
The now declassified secret papers disclose new facts about the events leading up to the Indo-Pak War and the birth of Bangladesh. They also show Nixons tilt towards Pakistan and his reluctance to contain Pakistan, as that would mean sabotaging his China venture.
NEW DELHI: While former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru coined the famous slogan Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai, China considered him discourteous and India to be bottomless pit for foreign aid.
It also held the view that it was a pity that late prime minister Indira Gandhi has also taken as her legacy the philosophy of her father embodied in the book Discovery of India, which China believes revealed his idea of a great Indian empire encompassing Malaysia, Ceylon among others.
The comments were made by former Chinese Prime Minister Chou En Lai to former American President Richard Nixon, who famously called Gandhi a bitch and a witch while his national security adviser Henry Kissinger called Indians bastards.
The comments are now a part of the book Nixon, Indira and India: Politics and Beyond written by a senior journalist Kalyani Shankar.
The book, a compilation of the declassified American documents of the Nixon era, when US extended hands to China and India conducted nuke test, gives an insight into what America, China and Pakistan thought of the Indian political system as well as its future besides the contentious issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
President Nixon, during his historic visit to China on February 23, 1972 accused India of diverting US aid to buy arms from Russia while saying he will send substantial amounts of economic assistance to Pakistan, which it can use to acquire arms from other sources.
Nixon said, The problem is to find some way that West Pakistan can find some military equipment and assistance. On our side, what we will do is supply substantial amounts of economic assistance to West Pakistan. This would enable West Pakistan to we would think in the interest of its defence to acquire arms from other sources.
He added, As a matter of fact, that is the tragedy of our policy in India. We supplied almost 10 billion dollars in assistance to India in the last 20 years very little was military assistance, it was economic and relived India so that it could purchase very substantial amounts of arms from Soviet Union and also manufacture arms. That was not our intent, but thats what happened.
He said the US will now move in a very measured way when it comes to its aid to India for which Chou replied, And India is actually a bottomless pit. This statement by Chou made Nixon laugh, the declassified documents say.
The former US president said if India tries to digest East Bengal (now Bangladesh), it may cause indigestion which would be massive.
To this Chou replied, Thats bound to be so. It is also a great pity that daughter (Madame Gandhi) has also taken as her legacy the philosophy of her father embodied in the book Discovery of India.
Nixon said his first mistake was not seeing that Pakistan had enough arms to discourage an Indian attack and secondly his act of reassuring Gandhi during his meet as asked by his advisers.
So I spent the whole time reassuring her when I should have warmed her. So I am a hard-liner on India.
The book also reveals that the US did not have any inkling that India was going in for a nuclear test and later was worried that India might pass on the technology to some other country.
The National Security Study Memorandum prepared giving an overview of Indias nuclear tests and the step that could be taken said, The fact that India almost certainly acquired its plutonium from the unsafe-guarded CIRUS research reactor supplied by Canada points up the importance of the safeguards system. The risk that India will share its nuclear explosive technology with other states must also be addressed.
Kalyani Shankar is a Delhi-based Indian journalist, well-known in the fields of print, broadcast and electronic media. She began her career with The Indian Express, followed by a long stint at the United News of India. During her career, spanning over more than three decades, she was posted in Washington as a correspondent of The Hindustan Times. She was later the Political Editor of The Hindustan Times. She was a Nuffield Press Fellow at Wolfson College, Cambridge University. She was the Vice President of the Forum of Financial Writers and Vice President of the Press Association of India. She was also founder member and Vice President of the Indian Women Press Corps. Presently, she is a member of the Governing Body of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication and a member of the Library Committee of the India International Centre. Currently, she is a syndicated columnist writing for English and Hindi newspapers. She has a weekly political programme on All India Radio and a programme on Lok Sabha Television as well. She has also authored two other books Gods of Power and India and The United States: Politics of the Sixties.
Topics: Jawaharlal Nehru, Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai, Chinese Prime Minister Chou En Lai
Book Review: Nixon, Indira and India: Politics and Beyond by Kalyani Shankar
Posted on January 24, 2010 by Moin Ansari
This book provides a fascinating insight into the Nixon era and India. It will serve as a good material for researchers. The secret documents (now declassified) appended at the end of each chapter reveal several hitherto unknown facts about the Indo-American relationship during the Nixon era. Nixons political maneouverings to achieve his goals in China at the expense of India are evident. His partnership with Dr. Kissinger in sharing political power is apparent in his conversations with his aides.
There are four important chapters in this book. The secret documents pertaining to the diplomatic visit of Nixon to India in 1969 and Indira Gandhis visit to Washington in 1971 provide a deep understanding of the American strategy and the personalities of both the leaders.
The top-secret documents reveal for the first time important facts about the Sino-Indian War of the 1962 and the Indo-Pak War of the 1971. The conversation between Nixon and the Chinese leaders Mao and Chou En Lai provides an insight into the Sino-Indian relations. These documents also reveal the normalisation process between the US and China.
The now declassified secret papers disclose new facts about the events leading up to the Indo-Pak War and the birth of Bangladesh. They also show Nixons tilt towards Pakistan and his reluctance to contain Pakistan, as that would mean sabotaging his China venture.
NEW DELHI: While former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru coined the famous slogan Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai, China considered him discourteous and India to be bottomless pit for foreign aid.
It also held the view that it was a pity that late prime minister Indira Gandhi has also taken as her legacy the philosophy of her father embodied in the book Discovery of India, which China believes revealed his idea of a great Indian empire encompassing Malaysia, Ceylon among others.
The comments were made by former Chinese Prime Minister Chou En Lai to former American President Richard Nixon, who famously called Gandhi a bitch and a witch while his national security adviser Henry Kissinger called Indians bastards.
The comments are now a part of the book Nixon, Indira and India: Politics and Beyond written by a senior journalist Kalyani Shankar.
The book, a compilation of the declassified American documents of the Nixon era, when US extended hands to China and India conducted nuke test, gives an insight into what America, China and Pakistan thought of the Indian political system as well as its future besides the contentious issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
President Nixon, during his historic visit to China on February 23, 1972 accused India of diverting US aid to buy arms from Russia while saying he will send substantial amounts of economic assistance to Pakistan, which it can use to acquire arms from other sources.
Nixon said, The problem is to find some way that West Pakistan can find some military equipment and assistance. On our side, what we will do is supply substantial amounts of economic assistance to West Pakistan. This would enable West Pakistan to we would think in the interest of its defence to acquire arms from other sources.
He added, As a matter of fact, that is the tragedy of our policy in India. We supplied almost 10 billion dollars in assistance to India in the last 20 years very little was military assistance, it was economic and relived India so that it could purchase very substantial amounts of arms from Soviet Union and also manufacture arms. That was not our intent, but thats what happened.
He said the US will now move in a very measured way when it comes to its aid to India for which Chou replied, And India is actually a bottomless pit. This statement by Chou made Nixon laugh, the declassified documents say.
The former US president said if India tries to digest East Bengal (now Bangladesh), it may cause indigestion which would be massive.
To this Chou replied, Thats bound to be so. It is also a great pity that daughter (Madame Gandhi) has also taken as her legacy the philosophy of her father embodied in the book Discovery of India.
Nixon said his first mistake was not seeing that Pakistan had enough arms to discourage an Indian attack and secondly his act of reassuring Gandhi during his meet as asked by his advisers.
So I spent the whole time reassuring her when I should have warmed her. So I am a hard-liner on India.
The book also reveals that the US did not have any inkling that India was going in for a nuclear test and later was worried that India might pass on the technology to some other country.
The National Security Study Memorandum prepared giving an overview of Indias nuclear tests and the step that could be taken said, The fact that India almost certainly acquired its plutonium from the unsafe-guarded CIRUS research reactor supplied by Canada points up the importance of the safeguards system. The risk that India will share its nuclear explosive technology with other states must also be addressed.
Kalyani Shankar is a Delhi-based Indian journalist, well-known in the fields of print, broadcast and electronic media. She began her career with The Indian Express, followed by a long stint at the United News of India. During her career, spanning over more than three decades, she was posted in Washington as a correspondent of The Hindustan Times. She was later the Political Editor of The Hindustan Times. She was a Nuffield Press Fellow at Wolfson College, Cambridge University. She was the Vice President of the Forum of Financial Writers and Vice President of the Press Association of India. She was also founder member and Vice President of the Indian Women Press Corps. Presently, she is a member of the Governing Body of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication and a member of the Library Committee of the India International Centre. Currently, she is a syndicated columnist writing for English and Hindi newspapers. She has a weekly political programme on All India Radio and a programme on Lok Sabha Television as well. She has also authored two other books Gods of Power and India and The United States: Politics of the Sixties.
Topics: Jawaharlal Nehru, Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai, Chinese Prime Minister Chou En Lai
