Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson and Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru

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254 DEPARTMENT OF STATE SECRET Memorandum of Conversation 277 DATE: October 12, 1949 SUBJECT: PARTICIPANTS: Secretary Acheson conf Prime Minister Nehru RECORDS AND REQUICE .. COPIES TO: 1-1403 The Prime Minister returned to my house with me at 10:30 after dinner and talked with me until 1:00 I invited Cod him to express his views on any matter on which he wished to do soand to feel the greatest freedom to tell me about any situation in which he felt that action of the Department had been mistaken or unhelpful. Wheat Stockpile The Prime Minister told me of his desire to have a stockpile of one million tons of wheat. This was necessary to assure the food supply and to reduce the price of wheat which he hoped to reduce by approximately 10%. This was a key commodity, the price of which controlled other prices in India. Although the agri- cultural interests had had a difficult time for many years, he thought in the recent past they had done well and could stand this reduction in price. Other classes of the population were suffering and this price adjustment was essential for their welfare. The matter had been discussed by some of his officials with some of ours. He understood that the matter would require legislation. I said that we were working on it and would be glad to intensify our efforts since I understood that this was a matter of primary DECLASSIFIED E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (E) Dept. of State letters 3-23-35 BLUILL By NLT- Heir NARS Date 4-26-16