Office of the Historian

381. Telegram From the Ambassador to India (Bowles) to the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow)1

New Delhi, October 19, 1966, 1256Z.

6752. On my return to India I find that the food situation has worsened seriously in comparison to a month ago. In several key areas the vitally important rains of early October have not come and consequently estimates of output for this crop year are down by at least four or five million tons.

In Bihar, parts of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madya Pradesh the late rains had been largely lacking and a desperate situation is in the making. Several of our people who have recently visited Bihar and Uttar Pradesh report that if anything the GOI is underestimating the danger. Asoka Mehta, Subramaniam and others are now visiting the area and it is my guess that we will be faced shortly with a request for an additional shipment of milo to meet this new situation.

In the meantime I am being pressed very hard since my return in regard to recommendation to President for two million tons—1.2 of wheat and 800,000 of milo—which are now pending in Washington. When I left the US the President was waiting for a report on India’s agricultural performance under the terms of our general understanding. I have just read the report2 put together by the Department of [Page 741] Agriculture, AID, and the Department of State; it seems to me to be completely factual, balanced and accurate. Under the circumstances I will be grateful to you personally if you can give me your private estimate of where the situation stands and how soon we may expect a decision on the pending requests3

Regards,

  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, NSC History, Indian Famine, August 1966–February 1967, Vol. III. Confidential. The message was sent [text not declassified].↩
  2. Not found.↩
  3. On October 31 the Country Team in India expressed its increasing concern “at adverse impact in an explosive political period of further delay in signing new agreement.” (Telegram 6340 from New Delhi; National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, SOC 10 INDIA)↩