Time to press the refresh button as the world debates Bangladesh in turmoil ....
In 1971; Gen Yahya Khan had interacted with 'Sunday Times', London:; and this is what was reported:
"Rage and sweet reasonableness alternated in Yahya's rambling confidence, ever returning to that woman. To a tough man like Yahya, being caught in a relentless trap and waiting helpless for the next turn of the screw is bad enough; to a Muslim general the idea that the screw is being turned by a Hindu in sari is clearly agonising".
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| Yahya Khan |
Take note .... just before the war Yahya Khan told a group of western journalists -- "If that woman thinks she is going to cow me down .... I refuse to take it.
If she wants a war I will fight it". (Nov 27, 1971) +++
**** Indira Gandhi actually caught the imagination of the world that ultimately helped her to emerge as a powerful leader. She went on a world tour and explained New Delhi's stance on massive influx of refugees. She also gave President Nixon an earful.
To her credit; Indira Gandhi displayed courage in crucial moments of her life and career.
But within next few years; even to her admirers she emerged somewhat of an enigma. If leadership/statesmanship came to the fore during 1971 turbulent days; by 1974-75 -- she was a changed persona. She displayed immense sense of insecurity.
Emergency was imposed .... possibly on the advice of son Sanjay Gandhi. She declined to obey the call of democracy.
Indira said she would not resign after the Allahabad High Court unseated her from Parliament.
Dates and vital references:
Dates/ Location:
The primary meetings between Indira and President Nixon and a state dinner occurred around November 4-5, 1971, in Washington, D.C.
** Indira Gandhi visited the U.S. as part of an international tour to seek a political solution to the East Pakistan crisis and handle the immense refugee influx into India.
She sought U.S. pressure on Pakistani President Yahya Khan to release Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and negotiate a peaceful resolution.
The Nixon administration was strongly pro-Pakistan, viewing India as leaning towards the Soviet Union.
Nixon and his National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, were privately dismissive and used derogatory language towards Indira Gandhi and Indians in declassified White House tapes.
The meetings did not lead to a common understanding or agreement. The US was unwilling to exert the pressure Gandhi requested, and India refused US proposals for troop withdrawals.
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| Henry Kissinger |
In July 2005, the US Department of State declassified taped conversations between former US President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger shortly before the India-Pakistan war in 1971 war that would lead to the birth of Bangladesh.
In the tapes, the two are heard talking about former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi shortly after a meeting with her. During the heated conversation, Nixon refers to Mrs Gandhi as an "old witch".
Kissinger calls her a "b***c" and says the "Indians are bastards anyway".
The tapes also brought to light Nixon's derogatory remarks against Indian women and his description of Indians as "most sexless" and "pathetic".
Soon after the remarks became public, Kissinger said he regretted his remarks and that he respected Mrs Gandhi.
"[The foul language has] to be seen in the context of a cold war atmosphere 35 years ago, when I had paid a secret visit to China when President Nixon had not yet been there and India had made a kind of an alliance with the Soviet Union," he told NDTV in an interview.
Why US Backed Pakistan During 1971 War
The Nixon administration was concerned about the spread of Soviet influence in the Indian subcontinent, particularly amid India's growing ties with USSR. To counter this, the US started reaching out to China, which had tensions with India and USSR. This outreach was launched through Pakistan and the US feared that responding to the atrocities in East Pakistan would block this outreach.
ends
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