Evening star., 1950-11-23
By Robert TrumbulI
New York Times Correspondent

In return for an alliance with
the Russian belt, India will be
offered first position Of domi-
nance in Asia: second, Russian
machinery and other means Of
developing her natural resources;
third, Russian wheat and other
needed foodstuffs in return for
strategic materials such as jute
and manganese: fourth. all the
advantages of having q friendly
power on her border.
The unthinkable alternative, for
which the Communist Party of
India is preparing, would be in
ternal revolution in which the
governments hold on the army
and police would be undermined
by Communist agitation already
very active. II this succeeded,
India would then be In the Com
munist bloc with every imaginable
political and economic disad-
vantage.
India's Military Position.
Even If the revolution failed,
India would still be sitting with
a gun pointing at her head If
the Russians go through with
their plans for powerful bases
in Tibet within 800 miles Of New
Delhi behind easily negotiable
passes.
In that case, India's military
position would be this: There
would be an inimical power on
India's borders capable of i'm
mediately Gripping her by air
attack, which India will hardly
be able to meet from her own
military resources in the fore
seeable future. In war, India
would be caught in q pincers
movement from Tibet and Chi
nese forces operating through
Burma.
Once the Communist invest
ment Of Tibet now under way is
completed, bases for land and sea
planes will be quickly established
at the lake site. These will then
be extended down the Sutlej
River and elsewhere along the
Indian frontier where plenty of
hatland is usable for landing air.
craft with little or no prepara-
ton.
incidentally, the frontier Is un-
defined on most maps. BY
repudiating the MacMahon Line,
established in 1914 by a tripartite
agreement with China but never
ratified, Peiping can readily set
forth a claim to Indian border
territory in Uttar Pradesh now
claimed by New Delhi but shown
as Tibetan on Chinese maps.
Other Strategic Places.
Other strategic places in the
same area are as follows:
/. The Arun Gap, also known
as Popti La, where the Arun
River breaks through the Hima-
laya range into Nepal. Planes
flying through this gap north of
West Bengal could dominate that
province and East Pakistan.
2. The Nitti Pass and Sutlej
Valley. Around Gartok. summer
residence of the governor of West
ern Tibet, the terrain is suitably
fiat.
Where the river Brahmaputra
drops through an immense gorge
into the eastern part of the Indian
state of Assam, conditions are
ideal for hydroelectric power de-
velopment.
The main Soviet base on level
land between two lakes will dom
mate the most important strategic
area of all, which is the gap where
the Karnali River crosses the
Nepalese border. This area could
be easily defended against land
and air attack; it is fiat and dry
and has plenty of good water 10
feet underground and large boil
ing thermal springs.
To attack India, Red planes
could take two main routes
through the Himalayas. How easy
this would be is shown by the fol-
lowing observations obtained from
travellers to the spot. First, If an
air fleet came down the Sutlej
River, no climbing would be nee
essary. 1t would take off from the
plain at an altitude of 1880 feet
and the flight would be descend
ing all the way to the Indian
plains. Excellent emergency land
ing grounds would be available
along this route.
Could "Coast Downhill."
BY rising only 1,400 feet after
taking off, planes could come along
the Karnali River, also continu-
ously descending. Many passes
such as the Tinka Lipu. Lipu Lehk
Lampya Dura, Darma, Untha
Dhura, Kungra Bingri, Mana and
Niti could also be used. These
would require climb from the
airfield of 1900 to 1000 feet, but
a plane could coast downhill'' the
rest Of the way into India.
Despite its altitude, the lake
site is one Of the lowest in the
Himalayan region and has q
healthful climate. Lake Mana
sarowar, with an area of zoo
square miles, is often whipped by
winds. but observation has found
that there are always spots calm
enough to permit seaplane opera
ton.
The slightly smaller companion
Lake Rakas is separated from
Manasarowar by a cone shaped
tongue of plain and ridge-the
level area being about 80 miles
long and four to six miles wide,
Many bays are suitable for shelter