Office of the Historian

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

Washington, December 10, 1966.

Chet:

Assure you President is deeply concerned regarding Indian food needs, but he is determined to establish a sound political position to support our share of the massive needs you report for next year. January arrivals are now covered in part from Canada and Australia, as a result of our unwillingness to rush in. Decisions regarding February and beyond can’t be taken until after Congressional delegation2 returns and after considering their recommendation and other problems here. Friday, December 9, I discussed this with Bijou,3 on President’s instructions, sketched the above, and reiterated the four key points in our policy that (a) there must be evidence of effective high priority on agriculture; (b) there must be equitable burden-sharing internationally—others must contribute substantially grant foodstuffs or cash for food purchases; (c) there must be a Congressional base for food aid; (d) commercial purchases should be made on an equitable basis—we, too, are an important market for cash sales of grain and we hope the GOI Treasury officials will come to consider grain purchases here as high a priority as purchases in Australia and Canada.

Bijou understands these points. I also stressed the counter-productivity of his Embassy or any other US or Indian governmental official attempting to use the press in an effort to stampede us. Sect. Rusk will have more of the flavor for you when you meet shortly.4

Walt 5
  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, India, Exchanges with Bowles (cont.). Secret; Eyes Only. A handwritten note indicates that the message was sent as [text not declassified].↩
  2. The Congressional delegation scheduled to arrive in India on December 14 to assess the food situation was composed of Senator Jack Miller, Congressman W.R. Poage, and Congressman Robert Dole.↩
  3. Ambassador Nehru.↩
  4. On his return from a trip to Vietnam, Rusk made a refueling stop in New Delhi on December 12 and met at Palam airport with Bowles and Foreign Minister Chagla. Rusk and Chagla discussed the situation in Vietnam and the food crisis in India. Chagla stated that the unwillingness or inability of the United States to help India meet the food crisis would cause resentment among the Indian people who would be unable to understand the U.S. rationale no matter how valid it might be. Rusk responded that Chagla’s comment was unfair. He noted that the United States had sent food to India on a massive scale while help from other countries had been minimal. (Memorandum of conversation by Bowles, December 12; National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL INDIA–US) On December 14 Bowles sent to Rusk the answers to a number of questions raised by Rusk in his December 12 conversation with Bowles concerning the food crisis. (Telegram 8634 from New Delhi; ibid., SOC 10 INDIA)↩
  5. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩