HVK Archives: An open letter to President Clinton
An open letter to President Clinton - The Free Press Journal
M V Kamath
()
May 20, 1998
Title: An open letter to President Clinton
Author: M V Kamath
Publication: The Free Press Journal
Date: May 20, 1998
Dear Mr President, I saw you on television, looking the very
picture of suppressed fury giving vent to your anger at India for
daring to explode three nuclear devices. India, you said, should
immediately sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) without
any preconditions. There was menace in your voice. You presented
the perfect picture of a bully. It was such an excellent
performance. But Mr President, may I ask you one very simple
question? What gives you the moral authority to lecture to India
on how it should work out its security needs? Will you kindly
give me a few minutes of your precious time and read what
follows?
** A little more than half a century ago, Mr President, your
predecessor, Mr Truman ordered the nuclear bombing of two
Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki that not only wiped out
the two cities, but killed and maimed several million innocent
men, women and children. You no doubt know that the only country
to use nuclear weapons on civilian populations is your own.
** In the last fifty years and more, Mr President your country
has conducted countless nuclear tests and 'stockpiled over 6,000
nuclear weapons of various grades. Your country's argument was
that it had to counter the communist menace. To match your
profligacy, the Soviet Union also amassed an equal number of
nuclear weapons and between the two of you, you can destroy the
entire world not just once, but several times over. Have you
ever given that any thought?
** Following your worthy footsteps, Britain and France joined in
the race, with nary a protest from the United States. France, in
particular, kept thumbing its nose at the United States,
insisting on perfecting its nuclear weaponry not on French soil
but far away in the Pacific Ocean. (My country, at least, has the
decency not to desecrate the open seas). Did the United States,
at any time, advocate any kind of sanctions against France - or
Britain? Who, pray, constitute their enemies? Ireland?, Spain?
** According to statistics provided by the Bulletin of Atomic
Scientists, the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China
the permanent members of the Security Council - have by now
conducted over 2,000 nuclear tests. What do you say to that, Mr
President? Your country is merrily carrying on trade with China
as if nothing has happened. Any comments, Sir?
** Then there is the evidence of Republican Congressman Dana
Rohrabacher, quoted by UNI that says that American satellite
companies have helped China 'perfect' its strategic missiles
through technology transferred with the approval of your
government? Even, Mr President, when you know fully well, that
China has blatantly contravened the provisions of CTBT?
** Now, Mr President, let me remind you of the role that the
United States has played in increasing tensions in the south
Asian sub-continent. For fifty years your country has given arms
aid to Pakistan and supported it in its bid to claim Jammu &
Kashmir. Because of Pakistan, India has had to strengthen its own
defence to the extent necessary.
** Your country, Mr President knew fully well that the arms given
to Pakistan could only be used against India. And yet, despite
India's protests, you continued your aid programme for years,
until you realised that Pakistan was getting to be too big for
its boots. Your country invited Pakistani leaders - mostly
Generals - and feted them to keep them in good humour and as a
bulwark against the Soviet Union.
** Your country literally aided and abetted Pakistan in its
clandestine efforts to build a nuclear arsenal, looking the other
way and refusing to see what was only too obvious to every one
with eyes to see and cars to hear.
** You had no words of protest when China gave both technical
know-how and aid to Pakistan to build its missiles as well as the
missiles themselves in reportedly knocked-down condition. You
turned a blind eye to the trade. And against the laws of your own
government you continue to do business with Beijing.
** You should know, Mr President, that Pakistan not only hates
India but had initiated three wars. Presently it has named its
missiles after medieval murderers by name Ghori and Ghazni to
mock at us. Have you stopped your Pakistani clients from their
war-like activities, ever?
** Pakistan, Mr President, openly aided and abetted Khalistanis
in Punjab and terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir. I don't remember
your ever admonishing Pakistan for its activities. With such an
inimical neighbour, what, Mr President, do you expect us to do?
Sit back and pray to the gods?
** You know, Mr President, for many years India gave every moral
support to China in the genuine belief that China could do no
willing harm to us. We coined the slogan Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai,
meaning Indians and Chinese are brothers. You laughed at us. The
entire American press had only words of condemnation for our
espousing the Chinese case in the United Nations and elsewhere.
For being trusting, Mr President, the Chinese, kicked us in the
teeth and we had to come to your great country, hat-in-hand, for
help. This time you laughed at us even more inasmuch as to say we
deserved what we got. Now, Mr President, we have learnt our
lesson.
** Mr President, surely you know that China has occupied ;a large
chunk of our territory in Aksai Chin in north Kashmir. China has
trained several score missiles at Indian cities at its base, in
Tibet. China has leased Coco Islands from Mynmar and has set up
monitoring equipment there to watch Indian skies. And no doubt
you also know that only on May 10, China tested a new air-to-air
missile in its test area at its heavily guarded base in the Badai
Jaran desert at a place called Lanzhou, 1600 kms west of Beijing.
Are these friendly moves, Mr President? Do we have a right to
look after our own security?
** You, no doubt, remember Mr President, what your predecessor
way back in the sixties did when the CIA discovered that the
Soviet Union had set up missiles in Cuba. What did President
Kennedy do, Mr President? Remember?
** And pray, what, Mr President, is the United States doing at
its base in Diego Garcia, way down in the Indian Ocean? What
exactly are you monitoring? True, the seas are nobody's national
Property, but would the United States have for a moment put up
with India (or any other country) doing a Diego Garcia on you?
** Do you realise, Mr President, that for almost a quarter of a
century, since we first set up a nuclear explosion at Pokhran, we
behaved, insofar as nuclear tests were concerned, in an exemplary
manner? During all this time you winked at Pakistani
intransigence, you kept your trade with China (which,
incidentally, has a huge trade surplus because of your country's
generosity) and American presidents literally went on their knees
to Beijing. What are we supposed to do, Mr President, when your
country keeps supporting our two enemies, who are also our
neighbours?
** Mr President, India is a passive country. It has no
territorial ambitions. Even after we won a resounding victory
against Pakistan, we gave back to Islamabad the territory we had
won. For a quarter of a century we followed a 'soft policy'
hoping that we would be left in peace. Our experience has been
different.
** I have a simple question to ask you, Mr President. Should
China attack us or Pakistan is up to its mischief again what do
you expect us to do: come back to the United States again hat-in-
hand? Mr President, we remember what President Kennedy said to
our Ambassador to your country, Mr B K Nehru. We don't want to be
humiliated by anybody, any time, Mr President. Go ahead with
your sanctions.
** The best way to stop India from testing its nuclear weapons,
Mr President, is for the United States to give up its own
testing, even on computers. Should the United States agree to
destroy its large nuclear arsenal and get other countries like
Russia, France, Britain and especially China to follow suit, what
incentive would there be for India to build a nuclear arsenal of
its own? Do you understand, Mr President?
** As things stand, what you are saying Mr President is: do what
we say, not what we do. You should be ashamed of yourself, Mr
President with the double standards that you are practising. And
may I ask: do you have a neighbour, as we do, Mr President, who
has waged three wars against you? What would you have done if
Canada or Mexico was a nuclear country which has its missiles
aimed at New York, Washington, Chicago, San Francisco and other
cities'? Ever thought of that, Mr President?
** As it looks to me, Mr President, you are telling us that only
white, developed country and an Asian country that couldn't care
less for you, have the right to make nuclear weapons. You sound
very racist, Mr President, excuse me for, saying that. But tell
me, in what way is Britain, or France superior to India? Kindly
don't offend our national self-respect.
** You know, Mr President. We are grateful to the United States
for such help it has given us in the past. We have plenty to be
unhappy about your attitude towards Pakistan and China. But we
have put up with it. You have your priorities. So, Mr President,
do we., We can't hurt you, at least not in a meaningful way. But
if you hurt us, we'll remember. Our nuclear arms, such as we may
ultimately be forced to make, would be defensive. They are meant
to be deterrent. If you don't understand that, you would make a
poor statesman. If your country had the, kind of history India
has, you will understand India better. We know what it is to be
invaded. We don want history to be repeated ever.
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