Ask the Scholar

Page 4 of 6
I can add historical knowledge about this page.

Page image

Page 4

OCR

DECLASSIFIED 3. THINK E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and S(D) or 75 (E) "NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND Dept. of State letter, 13.33.1973 RECORDS 2 . SERVICE" SECRET Ba NLT. HL NARS Date 4-28-66-4- international obligations. He asked how we could bring our own atti- - tude to the attention of the Chinese people. I thought that this might be done both through the Voice of America and by printed material which could be circulated. He doubted whether such material could be effectively circulated. His general attitude seemed to be that since recognition was doubtless inevitable, there was little purpose in postponing it by diplomatic maneuvers. Kashmir I asked the Prime Minister to talk to me fully and frankly on this subject so that I might have a real understanding of his point of view. He gave a long history of the dispute, the upshot of which was that Kashmir had been invaded by tribesmen through Pakistan and he thought with their consent and assistance, and later by Pakistan troops operating through the thin disguise of being on leave and subsequently, he believed, in regular formation. Paki- stan for a long time had denied any such action and only recently had admitted it. He spoke bitterly of Pakistan deception and in- trigue. Indian troops had entered Pakistan only upon the invita- tion and request of the Government after the invasion had taken place and only just in time to prevent the complete occupation of the country. Subsequent military occupation had driven back the in- vaders although they still occupied part of the country, and several hundred thousand refugees had either abandoned their homes or had been driven out. He then spoke of the fact that there was in this whole matter a very profound ideological issue. Pakistan wished to create a re- ligious state and wished Kashmir to be a part of their nation be- cause the inhabitants were largely Moslems. This he thought struck at the very basis of stability in the Indian sub-continent. The Indian idea was one of a secular state, in which religion had nothing to do with the participation of the citizen in government. India had in high office many Moslems. There were some thirty-five million Moslems in India. To establish now a religious basis for adherence of provinces would have a profoundly unsettling effect upon all the Moslems in India, and upon the Hindus in Pakistan. A plebiscite campaign based on these principles would be inflammatory and disastrous throughout the sub-continent. One of his basic ideas seemed to be that preliminary to any SECRET

Page data

Page
4
Source index
0
Type
photo
Media ID
d83e253be43f7169
Size
unknown

Document data

ID
183391013
Core
doc
Type
document
DTO data
{
    "id": "183391013",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183391013",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson and Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183391013",
    "collections": [
        "Dean Acheson Papers",
        "Secretary of State Files"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721911/1721911-02-01.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721911/1721911-02-01.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721911/1721911-02-01.jpg",
    "imageCount": 6,
    "hasImages": true,
    "source": "import",
    "hasTranscription": false
}

Context sent to Scholar

Document identity
{
    "localId": "183391013",
    "label": "Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson and Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru",
    "core": "doc",
    "dtoType": "document",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183391013"
}
Document source metadata
{
    "id": "183391013",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183391013",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson and Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183391013",
    "collections": [
        "Dean Acheson Papers",
        "Secretary of State Files"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721911/1721911-02-01.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721911/1721911-02-01.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721911/1721911-02-01.jpg",
    "imageCount": 6,
    "hasImages": true,
    "source": "import",
    "hasTranscription": false
}
Document source extras
{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183391013",
    "naId": 183391013,
    "levelOfDescription": "item",
    "productionDates": [
        {
            "day": 12,
            "logicalDate": "1949-10-12",
            "month": 10,
            "year": 1949
        }
    ],
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}
Page context
{
    "seq": 4,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721911/1721911-02-04.jpg",
    "mediaId": "d83e253be43f7169",
    "ocrText": "DECLASSIFIED\n3.\nTHINK\nE. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and S(D) or 75 (E)\n\"NATIONAL\nARCHIVES AND\nDept. of State letter, 13.33.1973\nRECORDS\n2\n.\nSERVICE\"\nSECRET\nBa NLT. HL NARS Date 4-28-66-4-\ninternational obligations. He asked how we could bring our own atti- -\ntude to the attention of the Chinese people. I thought that this might\nbe done both through the Voice of America and by printed material\nwhich could be circulated. He doubted whether such material could\nbe effectively circulated. His general attitude seemed to be that\nsince recognition was doubtless inevitable, there was little purpose\nin postponing it by diplomatic maneuvers.\nKashmir\nI asked the Prime Minister to talk to me fully and frankly on\nthis subject so that I might have a real understanding of his point\nof view. He gave a long history of the dispute, the upshot of which\nwas that Kashmir had been invaded by tribesmen through Pakistan\nand he thought with their consent and assistance, and later by\nPakistan troops operating through the thin disguise of being on\nleave and subsequently, he believed, in regular formation. Paki-\nstan for a long time had denied any such action and only recently\nhad admitted it. He spoke bitterly of Pakistan deception and in-\ntrigue. Indian troops had entered Pakistan only upon the invita-\ntion and request of the Government after the invasion had taken\nplace and only just in time to prevent the complete occupation of\nthe country. Subsequent military occupation had driven back the in-\nvaders although they still occupied part of the country, and several\nhundred thousand refugees had either abandoned their homes or had\nbeen driven out.\nHe then spoke of the fact that there was in this whole matter a\nvery profound ideological issue. Pakistan wished to create a re-\nligious state and wished Kashmir to be a part of their nation be-\ncause the inhabitants were largely Moslems. This he thought struck\nat the very basis of stability in the Indian sub-continent. The Indian\nidea was one of a secular state, in which religion had nothing to do\nwith the participation of the citizen in government. India had in\nhigh office many Moslems. There were some thirty-five million\nMoslems in India. To establish now a religious basis for adherence\nof provinces would have a profoundly unsettling effect upon all the\nMoslems in India, and upon the Hindus in Pakistan. A plebiscite\ncampaign based on these principles would be inflammatory and\ndisastrous throughout the sub-continent.\nOne of his basic ideas seemed to be that preliminary to any\nSECRET"
}