Evening star., 1953-08-30
Nine. Pandit Backed
By U. 5. for Leader
OF u. n. Assembly
By John M. Hiehtower
Associated Press Stuff Writer

The United States has decided
to vote for India's Nine. Pandit
as president of the next United
Nations General Assembly, which
convenes in New York next
month.
Ofncials hope this will help
heal the scars left by this coun-
try's fight in the United Nations
to block Indian membership in
the projected political confer
ence on Korea.
State Department officials have
been concerned that in winning
a victory on this issue the
United States might suffer losses
in its relations with the Indian
Government and the Indian
people that would play into the
hands of Communist leaders
seeking to extend their power
in Asia.
New Delhi Not Upset.
At the moment, Washington's
fears about this seem to be
greater than New Delhi's inter-
est in the whole subject. News
dispatches, which are under
stood to be in line with United
States dilomatic reports, indi-
cate that the Indian Govern
ment and public opinion have
not been very greatly upset by
the fight in the U. N.
Diplomatic authorities here,
however, are keenly sensitive to
the fact that India stands as the
great non-Communist power in
Asia, where the shadow of Red
China falls ominously over a
large area.
Ties of friendship with India
are valued greatly by these
authorities despite the fact that
the Indian government has
many criticisms of the West and
sometimes undertakes kind of
neutralism in the East-West
struggle which Westerners find
hard to understand.
Decision Made Before Crisis.
The decision to vote for Nine.
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, sister
of Prime Minister Nehru. was
made, according to authoritative
informants, before the crisis
arose over India's membership
in the Korean conference.
But it fits in with a widely
held conviction now that the
United States must do everything
reasonable to overcome whatever
i'll effects may have resulted from
the U. N. battle.
At least two other possible
lines of action fit into this con-
cept, authorities here say. These
are:
l. Efforts by the United States
and other United Nation govern
ments to make India's chairman
ship of the neutral nations re-
patriation commission in Korea
a full-fledged success. India, by
heading the commission and sup
plying supervisory troops, is
shouldering the major part of
the burden of war prisoner re-
patriation in the later stages.
The official feeling here is that
she deserves full recognition and
credit for undertaking this task.
2. Inclusion of India in any
political conference that goes
into larger Far Eastern issues
outside the scope of the immed-
late Korean questions.
Korean UnifcatiOn is Test.
Whether there will be such
wider negotiations is presently
a wide-open question. The United
States is approaching the whole
post-armistice negotiations with
the Reds on the assumption that
the first problem to tackle is
unification of Korea and that
this will test Communist inten-
tions.
If there is progress on Korea,
then officials here think a wider
conference, getting into such
questions as recognitio nof Red
China, the status of Formosa
and Chinese membership in the
y. NJ, might be desirable.
One of the things that bothers
soroo dinloy1oofS hera ohoI1t the