845.00/3–2048: Telegram
The Ambassador in India (Grady) to the Secretary of State
225. Re Embdesp 237 March 6.1 At his request I saw last evening H. V. R. Iengar, Acting Secretary General External Affairs in Bajpai’s absence. Prime Minister wished him to discuss with me recent statement on foreign policy which Prime Minister made in Assembly. Prime Minister wanted to be sure US did not misunderstand what he was endeavoring to convey. The speech he said was primarily for home consumption and to say certain things to Russia which he felt should be said. He said that it was unthinkable that India should be on Russia’s side in event of conflict between Russia and US. American principles of democracy and those of India were identical. He wishes to maintain officially for his government a neutral position. I said that I did not see any objection to this policy but found it hard to understand the Prime Minister’s frequent reference to imperialism and that I had heard from reliable sources that Prime Minister had been critical of our government and of America. Iengar said that as one who had been intimately associated with the Prime Minister for long time he found it hard to believe this as Prime Minister never criticized America to him. Iengar stated that Prime Minister had been disappointed [Page 499] in our attitude on Kashmir at UN2 but that there was no question about his fundamental friendliness to US. He stated further that Prime Minister is concerned about spread of Communism in India and said very confidentially measures are being taken to eliminate Communists from government.
He also stated that their military intelligence which was completely disorganized and in effect nonexistent last August is now being well organized and is giving careful attention to northern border. He stated further that resolution introduced in SC by Dr. Tsiang3 had been considered by Prime Minister and his advisers several days ago and met with their approval.
I learned from reliable source that Patel4 is not expected to recover. He has had two heart attacks and has cirrhosis of liver.
Sent Department as 225, repeated Karachi as 73. Department please repeat London and Moscow if considered desirable.
- Not printed.↩
- For documentation on U.S. involvement in the dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, brought before the U.N. Security Council in January 1948, see pp. 265 ff.↩
- Resolution on Kashmir dispute, introduced on March 18 by the Chinese Representative on the Security Council, Tingfu Tsiang. For text, see United Nations, Official Records of the Security Council, Third Year, Supplement for January, February and March 1948, pp. 38–40.↩
- Vallabhbhai Patel, Indian Minister of States, Home Affairs, Information and Broadcasting.↩