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Explosive report on 1962 India-China war leaked Video: NDTV.com
It has been considered one of the most closely-guarded military secrets in India - the Henderson Brooks report of the Indian Army commissioned after the 1962 loss to China. For decades, release of the report has been resisted and apparently only two copies of the report physically existed in the Defence Ministry in South Block. Now, Australian journalist and historian Neville Maxwell, who reported from India in the sixties, and evidently has a copy of the report, has released more than 120 pages online.
Here are 10 points in the 1962 India-china war report:
It has been considered one of the most closely-guarded military secrets in India - the Henderson Brooks report of the Indian Army commissioned after the 1962 loss to China. For decades, release of the report has been resisted and apparently only two copies of the report physically existed in the Defence Ministry in South Block. Now, Australian journalist and historian Neville Maxwell, who reported from India in the sixties, and evidently has a copy of the report, has released more than 120 pages online.
Here are 10 points in the 1962 India-china war report:
- "We acted on a militarily unsound basis of not relying on our own strength but rather on believed lack of reaction from the Chinese."
- Decisions at the highest level were taken without any military appreciation, and no overall plan was made to (prepare) for a major Chinese reaction,"
- The Intelligence Bureau was of the opinion that the Chinese would not react to our establishing new posts and were not likely to use force against any Indian post even if they could.
- This was contrary to the military intelligence, which clearly indicated that the Chinese would resist by force any attempts to take back territory held by them.
- "Militarily, it is unthinkable that the General Staff did not advise the Government on our weakness and inability to implement the "Forward Policy."
- General Kaul in his report has brought out that, on a number of occasions in 1961-62, the government was advised of our deficiencies in equipment, manpower, and logistic support, which would seriously prejudice our position in the event of a Chinese attack on us
- "There might have been pressure put by the Defence Ministry, but it was the duty of the General Staff to have pointed out the unsoundness of the "Forward Policy" without the means to implement it.
- the General Staff at no stage submitted to the Government an appraisal on the consequences of the "Forward Policy" or the base requirement of troops and resources required before it should have been implemented."
- "To base military actions and place in jeopardy the security of troops on suppositions and beliefs put across at conference tables indicates either acceptance of the belief or a militarily unsound mind."
- The army could have put its foot down and prevented the execution of a militarily unsound policy.