Indira Gandhi and Lyndon Johnson Negotiate Food Assistance
1966-03-29
President John F. Kennedy had redirected Food for Peace toward nutrition and development, appointing George McGovern to coordinate the agencies involved. [1]
Drought had left India short of food when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi met Lyndon Johnson in March 1966. India needed outside supplies to feed its population while increasing its own production. In their joint statement of 29 March, Johnson promised to seek congressional support and contributions from other countries. [2]
American grain came through Food for Peace, established in 1954 to send agricultural surpluses abroad on concessional terms or as grants. Johnson tied this assistance to changes in farming, expecting recipients to improve production, storage, and distribution so that emergency shipments would not become a permanent necessity. [1]
He also limited famine relief while pressing India to take a less critical position on the Vietnam War. Gandhi needed grain without surrendering her government’s freedom to speak, and the March statement acknowledged their differing views on Vietnam alongside the promises of cooperation. [1] [2]
Related Diplomats
Sources
- USAID and PL–480, 1961–1969 — Office of the Historian
Origins of Food for Peace, self-help conditions, and India
- Johnson–Gandhi joint statement
Food shortage, self-sufficiency, and Vietnam
- Historical representation: British India
- Previous Ambassadors
Related Reading
Cite This Article
Indira Gandhi and Lyndon Johnson Negotiate Food Assistance. Chanceries Diplopedia. Record 4970e1930fea4c20f65d. https://chanceries.org/research/history/india-food-8d25a05976/