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    "label": "Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Ambassador Chester Bowles, Edwin Martin, and Donald Kennedy",
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    "title": "Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Ambassador Chester Bowles, Edwin Martin, and Donald Kennedy",
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    "ocrText": "enorut SECURITY INFORMATION\nARCHIVES AND JULIA\n\"NATIONAL\nRECORDS\n-2-\n: .\nAmbassador Bowles believed that the officials of the GOI-now understood\nbetter the Indochinese question. On recent occasions they had not pressed\ntheir previously expressed views so forcefully but had rather seemed to \"skim\nlightly\" over the question. I commented that the French would like to get out\nbut could not find a way, and it was very fortunate for us that this was the\ncase.\nAmbassador Bowles said that the information program was now in good shape--\na few months ago it was in bad shape--and in the near future it should be a really\ngood program. The Ambassador felt it was a \"flop\" to try to sell the \"American\nway\" as perfection. We should humble ourselves and admit our errors. He did not\nwant more money for the information program but would desire a different\nallocation. Students in universities were 25 percent communist, and he had in\nmind increasing his cultural affairs staff in order that officers could get\nto the various universities about three times a year. He hoped that these visits\nwould be blowed up by letters, and in certain cases by donations of books.\nThe big question was, \"Will they succeed or will they not?\". A typical\nIndian will say that private enterprise in democracy worked in the West where\ntime was available but will it work here in India where results must be\nachieved under forced draft. This Indian will say that we must prove that our\nsystem will give better living quickly. The Indians, the Ambassador said, need\nconfidence in themselves. lie had told his Indian friends that they had accomplished\nmuch more in the last three years than the Russians had in any three-year period.\nFor example, the Bhakra Dam was much larger than anything in Russia, and it was\n50 percent completed. I asked if there were enough trained people in India to\ntake on a greatly expanded program, to which the Ambassador replied that that was\npart of our job. We would have to have trained by June of next year 14,000 people,\nby December of this year 5,000. The Ford Foundation was cooperating marvelously\nin its training venture. It would also be necessary to do some dramatic things.\nFor example, the Rockefeller people had estimated that by 1956 malaria could be\neradicated at a cost of around $17 million. There were 80 million cases in India\nand about 1 million deaths every year. Once the program was carried this far the\nstates would be forced to carry it on because of the demand of their people.\nAmbassador Bowles said that we could accomplish our economic objectives\nin India and still see it go communist--something more was needed than merely\neconomic progress, and this something was of the spirit. There was now complete\nconfusion in India as to what kind of economy they should have as a result of their\neconomic progress. The Ambassador referred to a letter he had written Mr. Thorp\non the subject of incentives; he had suggested that possibly a World Bank mission\nmight be sent to India to develop recommendations as to the long-range pattern\nof the Indian economy.\nI asked what India was doing about the population problem. Ambassador Bowles\nsaid he believed that increased productivity would provide one part of the\nanswer. As a result of this there would be a decreased need for large families\nDECLASSIFIED\nEs O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and S(D) or on\nwhich\nDept. of State letter,\nFORMATION\nes\nHC NARS Doan 2-16-26"
}