Evening star., 1953-08-15
India and the Political Conference.

It is unfortunate that there is an inter-
allied dispute over whether or not India should
be participant in the forthcoming political
conference on Korea and the Far East in gen.
eral. Unless it is settled satisfactorily this
week end, the issue probably will be placed
before the United Nations General Assembly
when it meets Monday to make conference rec
concentrations, and if that happens, the ensu-
ing debate is likely to be more helpful to the
Communists than to our side.
The dispute revolves around the fact that
the United States, although it has no particular
objection to having the Soviet Union repre-
sented among the Communist participants, be-
lieves that the members of the U. N. negotiat-
ing team should be chosen solely from among
the 16 allied nations that contributed troops
and actively fought against the Red aggreSSorS
in Korea That would eliminate the Indians,
whose role in the war was limited strictly to
non-combat cooperation in the medical field.
In support of the American position Henry
Cabot Lodge, jr, our chief delegate to the
United Nations, has cited Article Nv of the Pan
munjom truce agreement. The article declares
that "the military commanders of both sides
hereby recommend to the governments of the
countries concerned on both sides that .
political conference of higher level of both
sides be held . :. to settle through negotiation
the question of the withdrawal of all foreign
forces from Korea, the peaceful settlement of
the Korean question ETC." AS explained by Mr.
Lodge, our Governments contention is that this
language refers to the belligerents, not to rela-
tive "neutrals" like India and that the con-
ference's U. N. participants should therefore be
selected only from the 16 powers whose troops
gave battle to the Communists
However, although Mr.. Lodges point is an
impressive one, some of the Is nations notably
Britain and Canada, and apparently France as
welfare reported to be firmly convinced that
our American attitude toward this matter is
unrealistic. Their view, according to reliable
account, Is that the Indians, not less than the
Russians, should be party to the conference
not merely because of their important role in
working out truce proposals but also because
of their highly influential position in Asia The
British in fact, said to feel so strongly about
the issue that they are ready to take it to the
floor of the General Assembly in open argu-
ment with the United States-a development
that could be acutely embarrassing to our
allied side.
Interestingly enough, India-whch holds
the craftsmanship of the neutral" f1ve-nation
repatriation commission in Korea-has indi-
Gated that it is anything but happy about being
the center of this dispute. Indeed, through v. X.
Krishna Menon, its delegate to the u NJ, it has
been at pains to declare that it is not "can-
didate" for participation in the political con-
ference-a fact suggesting that it may formally
withdraw its name from consideration and thus
make the British argument academic
In any event, however, it is too bad that
the issue has stirred up inter-allied differences
Certainly if the dispute cannot be ended with
out resort to an open debate in the General
Assembly, our side will be hurting itself prop
agandistically and otherwise at a time when
1t should be showing as much unity as possible
in its approach to the political conference
Only the Communists can profit from such cir
cumstances.