User:GPRIT00/Sino-Indian War

Foreign involvement
During the conflict, Nehru wrote two letters on 19th November 1962 to U.S. President John F. Kennedy, asking for 12 squadrons of fighter jets and a modern radar system. These jets were seen as necessary to beef up Indian air strength so that air-to-air combat could be initiated safely from the Indian perspective (bombing troops was seen as unwise for fear of Chinese retaliatory action). Nehru also asked that these aircraft be manned by American pilots until Indian airmen were trained to replace them. These requests were rejected by the Kennedy Administration (which was involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis during most of the Sino-Indian War). Although President John F. Kennedy denied Indian fighter jet request, he still recognized the potential to sway India's ideals and sympathies away from communist ideals and states. The U.S. nonetheless provided a public denouncement of Chinese aggression, a statement of full support of Indian efforts, non-combat assistance to Indian forces, and planned to send the carrier USS Kitty Hawk to the Bay of Bengal to support India in case of an air war. Along with non-combat assistance, it was later revealed India harbored US CIA agents as they conducted secret missions to aid India in their resistance against communist China.

While the United States declined the Indian request for help, the British government proved willing to supply aid to their recently independent colony. The British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, expressed in the House of Commons that "our connections with India crossing so many generations were not severed by the constitutional changes of 1947. There are still, happily, the most intimate links in trade and commerce between our countries." The British government expressed their ongoing relationship with India through supplying immediate military supplies such as rifles, clothes, spare parts, and ammunition. The public declarations and rapid arrival of military supplies was received with great appreciation from not only the Indian government but also the Indian public.

As the Sino-Soviet split heated up, Moscow made a major effort to support India, especially with the sale of advanced MiG warplanes. The U.S. and Britain refused to sell these advanced weapons so India turned to the USSR. India and the USSR reached an agreement in August 1962 (before the Cuban Missile Crisis) for the immediate purchase of twelve MiG-21s as well as for Soviet technical assistance in the manufacture of these aircraft in India. According to P.R. Chari, "The intended Indian production of these relatively sophisticated aircraft could only have incensed Peking so soon after the withdrawal of Soviet technicians from China." In 1964 further Indian requests for American jets were rejected. However Moscow offered loans, low prices and technical help in upgrading India's armaments industry. India by 1964 was a major purchaser of Soviet arms. According to Indian diplomat G. Parthasarathy, "only after we got nothing from the US did arms supplies from the Soviet Union to India commence." India's favored relationship with Moscow continued into the 1980s, but ended after the collapse of Soviet Communism in 1991.

Chinese Foreign Policy
During the Cold War Period, Chinese foreign policy was largely influenced by the two world superpowers (The United States and Soviet Union) along with ideology and their own national interests. Since this time, China's foreign policy has shifted away from a position of national values and in the direction of national interest. Rather than strongly aligning with another world power, China has adapted a stance of leaning to neither side. Their construction of a global strategy guides their moves in foreign policy. This tactic came to be during the Cold War with China's dealings with India throughout the time period. Throughout the beginning of the Cold War, Chinese attitude toward India was rather peaceful. China's opposition to American imperialism and American-Indian relations sparked China's distaste for India. The continuing support of Indian from the Soviet Union also added to China's opposition to the Indian border. Prior to the Soviet Union's support to Indian, Chinese-Soviet relations were rather strong, as China was the Soviet Union's major partner in Asia. The backing of Indian by the Soviet Union portrayed a shifting alliance to the Chinese government, furthering Chinese opposition to India. In the 1960s, the Chinese-Soviet alliance completely dissolved with Indian taking China's place. The Soviet Union alliance with their new partner in Asia is seen as a major security threat by the Chinese government. China looked to counter their new threat through their campaign to solve the border dispute with India. Starting the chain of events leading to the Sino-Indian War. China's foreign policy moved towards a global strategy that shifted constantly with the changing events of the world. The dissolve of Chinese-Soviet relations and later complete dissolving of the Soviet Union created challenges for China's foreign policy. They were forced to decrease foreign aggression as they no longer had the backing of a global power while still acting in their own national interests. [1]

Foreign involvement
During the conflict, Nehru wrote two letters on 19th November 1962 to U.S. President John F. Kennedy, asking for 12 squadrons of fighter jets and a modern radar system. These jets were seen as necessary to beef up Indian air strength so that air-to-air combat could be initiated safely from the Indian perspective (bombing troops was seen as unwise for fear of Chinese retaliatory action). Nehru also asked that these aircraft be manned by American pilots until Indian airmen were trained to replace them. These requests were rejected by the Kennedy Administration (which was involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis during most of the Sino-Indian War). Although President John F. Kennedy denied Indian fighter jet request, he still recognized the potential to sway India's ideals and sympathies away from communist ideals and states. The U.S. nonetheless provided a public denouncement of Chinese aggression, a statement of full support of Indian efforts, non-combat assistance to Indian forces, and planned to send the carrier USS Kitty Hawk to the Bay of Bengal to support India in case of an air war. Along with non-combat assistance, it was later revealed India harbored US CIA agents as they conducted secret missions to aid India in their resistance against communist China.

While the United States declined the Indian request for help, the British government proved willing to supply aid to their recently independent colony. The British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, expressed in the House of Commons that "our connections with India crossing so many generations were not severed by the constitutional changes of 1947. There are still, happily, the most intimate links in trade and commerce between our countries." The British government expressed their ongoing relationship with India through supplying immediate military supplies such as rifles, clothes, spare parts, and ammunition. The public declarations and rapid arrival of military supplies was received with great appreciation from not only the Indian government but also the Indian public.

As the Sino-Soviet split heated up, Moscow made a major effort to support India, especially with the sale of advanced MiG warplanes. The U.S. and Britain refused to sell these advanced weapons so India turned to the USSR. India and the USSR reached an agreement in August 1962 (before the Cuban Missile Crisis) for the immediate purchase of twelve MiG-21s as well as for Soviet technical assistance in the manufacture of these aircraft in India. According to P.R. Chari, "The intended Indian production of these relatively sophisticated aircraft could only have incensed Peking so soon after the withdrawal of Soviet technicians from China." In 1964 further Indian requests for American jets were rejected. However Moscow offered loans, low prices and technical help in upgrading India's armaments industry. India by 1964 was a major purchaser of Soviet arms. According to Indian diplomat G. Parthasarathy, "only after we got nothing from the US did arms supplies from the Soviet Union to India commence." India's favored relationship with Moscow continued into the 1980s, but ended after the collapse of Soviet Communism in 1991.