274. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Komer) to President Johnson1
Here is another brilliant, though awfully wordy, report on India famine by Freeman.2 It boils down to the fact that the most efficient and cheapest way to minimize famine (there will be some in any case) is to schedule an optimum flow into Indian ports before their capacity drops sharply when the rainy season begins in May. Otherwise we and other donors will have to resort to expensive emergency measures at that time.
The 1.5 million tons have already been purchased and are being shipped as fast as possible. But there will be a gap in the pipeline and a sharp shortfall from the million tons a month we’d like to get in before the rains come unless we either (a) authorize at least another 500,000 tons shortly, or (b) at least tell the Indians privately we will, so they can firmly book shipping ahead.
Freeman reports that India is urgently requesting help from others, and getting some responses, but the evidence is that no one besides ourselves and Canada has much wheat (and Canadian ports get frozen over).
Frankly, one problem is that Freeman and the rest of us hesitate to hit you so soon again on Indian food.3 However, would there be some appropriate place in the series of messages you are planning for a new dramatic announcement shortly?
Freeman is sending a technical mission to India Thursday and would like to go briefly himself around 20 January (perhaps en route to Vietnam). Would this merit a White House announcement along with another 500,000 or million tons of food?
Draft WH announcement
Draft para. for aid message
Tell Indians privately we’ll allocate an additional million tons before Shastri comes4
- Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, India, Vol. VI, Cables, Memos, Miscellaneous, 9/65–1/66. Secret.↩
- Reference is to a January 4 memorandum from Freeman to President Johnson with a subject line that reads: “Follow up on Indian Food and Agriculture Situation.” (Ibid., Cables, 9/65–1/66)↩
- McGeorge Bundy sent this memorandum to the President with an attached note that reads: “Bob Komer was scared to frame the specific recommendations on his covering memo here, but I told him that you were bolder than he on serious matters and that you were an admirer of honest advice. So here it comes with my courage and his wisdom.” (Ibid.)↩
- Johnson wrote in the margin, in response to these recommendations, “See me.”↩