Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Ambassador Chester Bowles, Edwin Martin, and Donald Kennedy

SEORET SHOURITY INFORMATION 504 5/5 5789 DEPARTMENT OF STATE Memorandum of Conversation coof DATE: 183 June 9, 1952 SUBJECT: Report on India by Ambassador Bowles. 5. PARTICIPANTS: The Secretary Ambassador Chester Bowles . CHATIONAL Mr. Edwin Martin - S/MSA : SERVICE+ Mr. Donald Kennedy - SOA COPIES TO: NEA H S/MSA P TCA Embassy New Delhi E DRN UNA FE u. s. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 16-61120-1 I expressed solicitude about the Ambassador's difficulty with his ear and he responded that the doctor had reported the situation was partly good and partly bad--good in the sense that no operation was involved, at least now, and bad because the doctor was not sure anything could be done about the trouble. The Ambassador then said he was very pleased to have this opportunity to talk to me, to which I responded that he had done a colossal job for us and that I was very proud of his accomplishments. In reporting on the improvement of relations between India and the US, Ambassador Bowles said that various factors wore responsible. One important reason was that the Communist Party in India had now emerged as the opposition party. At his suggestion Nehru had had investigated the means by which Communists were obtaining funds to carry on their propaganda. It had been established that these funds were derived from the sale of pro-communist books sent in gratis from Moscow. Moscow Radio had recently attacked Nehru and this had had an effect upon the Prime Minister. As to Korea, Ambassador Bowles believed that the Indians now understood the facts and supported our position on prisoners of war 100 percent, although they were critical of the way we had handled the problem. He also thought that Nehru no longer held any illusions as to China. He had told Nehru that the Russians wished to keep China at war in Korea because that kept them dependent upon Russia for supplies and materiel. In this way they were kept dependent upon Russia and therefore in the Russian camp. Ambassador Bowles DECLASSIFIED a 41652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (90 GLORET SEGURITY Dege. DE lettero 5-12:76 He is NARS Data 7-16-76