Evening star., 1963-01-20
INDIA
Red China's Attack Awakened Nation
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Chinese encroachment has
since become the basis for Pc
kings claim of Indian "aggres-
sion" on the border. 1t also ex-
plains Chinese demands that
the present cease-fire line
should be based on the Zine
OF control" in 1859, rather than
- as the Indians insist - the
status quo" as of September
8, 1862.
A somewhat similar situation
existed at the extreme eastern
end Of the border in India's
Northeast Frontier Agency.
Here again the Chinese have
historically claimed sizeable
amounts of Indian territory, re-
fusing, as all previous Chinese
governments have refused, to
recognize the "imperialist" line
drawn by Sir Arthur Mcmahon
in 1914 to mark the border.
At the same time, the Chi
nese have tacitly let it be un-
derstood for years that they
would be willing to accept the
Mcmahon line in return for
territorial concessions in La
dakh.
Many people here still as
sumo that a swap of this kind
was the main immediate obiec-
tive Of the massive show of mil
itary force launched in both
areas on october 20.
If so, it amounted to a wild
miscalculation.
No doubt the Aksai Chin Pla-
teau is much more important to
the Chinese than it is to the
Indians. No doubt, the Chinese
have the military strength to
hold it indefinitely.
But whatever chance there
may have been for a peaceful
settlement Of the border dis
pute, it has vanished before
the violence of Indian reaction
to the Chinese attack.
Chinese Mistake
THE Chinese made the mis-
take of thinking they were deal
ing with, Nehru," one is told.
"They found, instead, that
they were dealing with the In
dian people and forces which
no government can control.
Even If Nehru wanted a settle
ment. he couldn't make one to-
day - or for a long time to
come"
This is, perhaps, the m ost
important central fact of the
revolution that has swept In
dia in the last three months. It
was not imposed by the Chi
neSe. 1t was not invented - or
even particularly encouraged -
by the leaders of the country.
Prime Minister Nehru has
made his reputation as a ma
tional leader largely because of
an uncanny sensitivity to the
mood and temper of the coun-
try. And, as most politicians
here admit, it is the country
which today is imposing on the
Indian government the most
drastic revision of its attitudes
and policies in the history of
the state.
The great soul-awakening. /"
as President Sarvepalli Radha-
krishnan has called it, inevi-
tably involved the destruction
of a large number of long
cherished illusions.
For the people - and their
leaders as we'll - 1t ended once
and for all the age-old convic-
ton that the Himalaya Noun
tains formed an impenetrable
barrier to invasion from the
north.
The moral shock as Chinese
troops swept down toward the
Assam plains provided a perma-
nent corrective to the Maginot
mentality that has shaped In
dian notions of national secu-
rity for centuries.
Military, Political Shock
Equally shocking to many In
dians was the deplorable un-
readiness of India's military de-
fenses. Today, to be sure. one
hears a great deal about the
heroic feats of the Jawans
Qndian GIs) against the in
vaders, and there is no doubt
that, man for man, the Indian
troops are at least a match
for the Chinese.
The harsh fact remains, how
ever. that the ill-equipped and
badly led Indian forces suf-
fered stunning defeats in both
Ladakh and the NEFA, losing
in dead. wounded and missing
more men than the allies lost
in the invasion of Normandy.
For the thinking Indian, at
least, it is only too clear that
the military establishment, as
it has existed in the past, is
incapable of meeting the new
threat to the country's security.
= But the greatest disillusion
was directed inescapably at the
political leadership of the coun-
try. Above all else, the Chi
nese attack represented a
crushing defeat for the foreign
policy Mr.. Nehru has steadfastly
pursued since he came to power.
With it vanished his reputation
in Indian eyes of infallibility.
And with 1t crumbled the moral
and political foundations on
which the special position Of
India on the world scene had