Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XXV, South Asia

39. Memorandum of Conversation¹

Washington, April 27, 1964, 11:06 a.m.

SUBJECT

• Meeting of President with Mrs. Indira Gandhi²

PARTICIPANTS

• Mrs. Indira Gandhi
• Ambassador B.K. Nehru
• The President
• Assistant Secretary Phillips Talbot
• R.W. Komer

The President greeted Mrs. Gandhi cordially, remarking on his previous meetings with her and with her father. It was because he regarded himself as such a strong friend of India that he was surprised at Mrs. Gandhi’s referring to US favoritism toward Pakistan on Kashmir as she had in a recent interview with the New York Times. The President stressed that we were firm in our determination to have the most friendly relations with India. So, he said smilingly, he could not accept any implication of partisanship.

Mrs. Gandhi reassured the President that India understood and appreciated US policy and US help. She and her father personally knew of the President’s strong friendship for India, and she had merely been referring to one part of US policy, that toward Kashmir, on which we did not seem sympathetic to the Indian point of view. Ambassador Nehru interjected that two great powers could certainly disagree on one among many questions without any diminution in the overall friendly relations between them.

The President came back again on the issue of US friendship for India and decried any suggestion of partisanship on any issue between us. As for the Indians being disturbed at our relations with Pakistan, they should realize that the Pakistani were far more angry with us. The Paks were much more unhappy about our policy toward India than India seemed to be about our policy toward Pakistan.

The President went on to describe how the US was not only seeking to help nations abroad develop themselves but to deal with the problems of poverty and discrimination in the US. He outlined his own recent efforts to this end citing various statistics. He mentioned, for example, that 49% of draft-age Americans failed to meet minimum physical standards for the draft. Ambassador Nehru was shocked that this figure should be so high, but Mrs. Gandhi pointed out that India had had similar difficulties in recruitment after the Chinese attack.

Mrs. Gandhi then presented a letter from Prime Minister Nehru to the President.³ The latter read it carefully and commented on how much he appreciated the friendly sentiments it contained. India could count on US friendship and on continued US help.

The President remarked on how many friends India has in his Administration. We sent Ambassadors to India who seemed to spend every day thinking of new ways in which we could be helpful.

Mentioning his particular affection for Mr. Nehru, the President asked about his current health. Mrs. Gandhi replied that he was better and up and around a bit more. The President remarked upon how people had counted him out at the time of his own heart attack. But two months later he was back in shape again and had been ever since. No one should count Mr. Nehru out either. He urged Mrs. Gandhi to carry this message back to Prime Minister Nehru and to give him the President’s affectionate regards.

After pictures were taken, the President showed Mrs. Gandhi and the Ambassador the rose garden.

1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Presidential Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 66 D 149. Secret. Drafted by Talbot and Komer on April 30 and approved in the White House on May 11. The conversation was held at the White House. The time of the meeting is taken from the President’s Daily Diary. (Johnson Library)
2. Prime Minister Nehru’s daughter was visiting the United States for the inaugural ceremonies of the World’s Fair.
3. In his April 14 letter to President Johnson, Prime Minister Nehru referred, inter alia, to the continuing differences that troubled relations between India and Pakistan. He pledged that India’s efforts to reach an understanding with Pakistan with regard to Kashmir and the communal problems would continue. Nehru noted that India faced a constant threat from China, and added that he was glad that Defense Minister Chavan would be coming to the United States to discuss India’s defense requirements. He expressed his gratitude for all of the military and economic assistance the United States had provided to India. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, India, Nehru Correspondence)