Here is the cable from US Consulate in Madras to Washington dated July 3, 1975 in its entirety.
1. I called on Tamil Nadu minister of labor and housing Rajaram at his residence last evening, and presented him a copy of the latest foreign service newsletter in which his picture with secretary Simon appears. The minister immediately asked what my reaction was to what had happened in India. I began to reply along the lines that a lot had happened since we last met. He interrupted and said: "I'm glad you came by because I was going to contact you. I want to ask you a leading question. Would the United States give assistance to us if Tamil Nadu decided to become independent?" I said I would reply equally directly, and the answer was no; this was an internal affair of India and we supported the territorial integrity of India and other countries. I asked if this was something that was being seriously considered. He said no, not at the highest levels; the DMK had several years ago abandoned secession as a policy.
But a lot of the younger people in the party have been talking about it in the past few days. These younger people, he said, are saying that the USSR and other communist countries are backing Mrs. Gandhi in her efforts to kill democracy here; if this succeeds, communist influence will grow, and Tamil Nadu should secede and the question of whether the U.S. would help has been discussed. That was why, the minister said, he had wanted to raise the matter with me.
Full details with reference and supplementary information
Tamil Nadu Sought American Help for Independence from India in 1975
1. I called on Tamil Nadu minister of labor and housing Rajaram at his residence last evening, and presented him a copy of the latest foreign service newsletter in which his picture with secretary Simon appears. The minister immediately asked what my reaction was to what had happened in India. I began to reply along the lines that a lot had happened since we last met. He interrupted and said: "I'm glad you came by because I was going to contact you. I want to ask you a leading question. Would the United States give assistance to us if Tamil Nadu decided to become independent?" I said I would reply equally directly, and the answer was no; this was an internal affair of India and we supported the territorial integrity of India and other countries. I asked if this was something that was being seriously considered. He said no, not at the highest levels; the DMK had several years ago abandoned secession as a policy.
But a lot of the younger people in the party have been talking about it in the past few days. These younger people, he said, are saying that the USSR and other communist countries are backing Mrs. Gandhi in her efforts to kill democracy here; if this succeeds, communist influence will grow, and Tamil Nadu should secede and the question of whether the U.S. would help has been discussed. That was why, the minister said, he had wanted to raise the matter with me.
Full details with reference and supplementary information
Tamil Nadu Sought American Help for Independence from India in 1975
