American Military Aid during the Sino-Indian War
November 1962
As Chinese forces attacked along the disputed Himalayan frontier, American aircraft carried equipment and ammunition to help India resist. By 9 November 1962, the deliveries amounted to some 800 tons at a cost, including transport, of about $3.5 million. [1]
The supplies arrived before the paperwork was complete. On 14 November, Assistant Secretary of State Phillips Talbot and Ambassador B. K. Nehru exchanged notes in Washington giving the assistance a formal basis. American representatives could observe how India used the equipment, and any left over when the emergency ended was to be returned. [3]
Pakistan was both an American military partner and India’s rival. Talbot assured its ambassador that the weapons were intended for defense against China, but American officials reported that this had done little to reassure him. In December, Kennedy approved a larger emergency program while seeking progress toward an India–Pakistan settlement over Kashmir. [1] [2]
Talbot initially told Pakistan's ambassador what kinds of weapons were being supplied, without giving exact quantities; a later meeting was to provide their approximate scale. [1]
Related Diplomats
Sources
- Kaysen to Kennedy: assistance to India — FRUS, document 192
Tonnage, costs, and discussions with Pakistan
- National Security Action Memorandum 209 — FRUS, document 223
Emergency assistance and Kashmir
- Exchange of military assistance notes — FRUS, document 197
Terms and initial deliveries
- 2017 Year in Review — incoming ambassadors, printed page 73
- Secondary ambassador chronology and biographical context
Related Reading
Cite This Article
American Military Aid during the Sino-Indian War. Chanceries Diplopedia. Record 9b8e04dfd971948a3b06. https://chanceries.org/research/history/india-airlift-309ecacb91/