250. Editorial Note
On February 4, 1960, at the 434th meeting of the National Security Council, Allen Dulles commented on the recent elections in Kerala during his intelligence briefing:
“Mr. Dulles believed the results of the elections in Kerala indicated that the anti-Communist forces, if united, could defeat the Communists. In Kerala the anti-Communists had obtained 89 seats and the Communists 28 out of 127 possible seats, leaving 10 seats in doubt. The Communists had not lost much in the popular vote but their parliamentary seats had been severely reduced. While this election was a serious set-back for the Communist Party in India, the size of the Communist vote showed that anti-Communist efforts could not be relaxed. The vote in Bengal will be the next serious test of strength between Communists and anti-Communists in India.” (Memorandum of discussion by Marion W. Boggs; Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records)