Office of the Historian

690D.91/8–1453: Telegram

The Ambassador in India (Allen) to the Department of State1

confidential
New Delhi, August 14, 1953—4 p.m.

315. Re Embtel 311, August 13.2 Pillai also cited as basis for allegations of American interference in Kashmir New York Times article of July 5 stating that consideration was being given to partition of Kashmir, with independent status for Vale. Article added “it is rumored, without official verification” that Secretary Dulles supported solution of this nature. Pillai commented “Mr. Dulles, of course, never discussed any such solution with Prime Minister. Trumbull’s article created much resentment here.”

Information officer of MEA recently said “you Americans are responsible for reports of interference” citing Trumbull’s article and Adlai Stevenson’s article on India in Look magazine Trumbull’s basis.

It seems clear that both Pillai and MEA information officer were reflecting views of Prime Minister Nehru. Meantime, V. P. Radhakrishnan said yesterday that neither he nor Prime Minister Nehru has slightest evidence of American interference in Kashmir. Answer to this seeming paradox is that Nehru does not think US Government has intervened officially but he believes private American individuals, notably Stevenson, influenced Abdullah and that US Government is generally inclined to be pro-Pakistani on Kashmir issue.

False reports alleging that I have visited Kashmir are beginning to backfire. Since fact that I have never been to Kashmir and have never met any Kashmiri officials except brief handshake with Karan Singh at reception is well known in official diplomatic and press circles in Delhi, and allegations of my visits are beginning to be cited as proof that whole story of American interference is based on either manufactured or flimsiest evidence.

Allen
  1. This telegram was repeated for information to London and Karachi.↩

  2. In telegram 311 from New Delhi, Aug. 13, Ambassador Allen reported in part as follows:

    “Pillai asked me to call today to discuss Kashmir. He repeated that he had no idea whatever that US Government had been interfering in Kashmir, and he had already spoken to information officer of MEA requesting latter to do what he could to stop press allegations. He also said he would speak to Vishnu Sahay regarding latter’s ‘loose talk’ as soon as Shah returns from Kashmir.” (690D.91/8–1353)

    ↩