Rajiv Gandhi was a middleman for Swedish jets: WikiLeaks
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sms
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Rephrase ... its "RAJIV GANDHI YUDHAK VIMAN LAO YOJANA"
Guynextdoor2
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There is nothing that says that he lobbied or used his influence. All that is said is that he was called an 'entrepreneur'. You are making those assumptions. The deal didn't go through, so there never really was any influence at work anyway. People who think 'US withdrawal made the deal fall apart'- he could have become a middleman for Jaguar then- did he? Let's not speculate here for the sake of speculating.
I don't car why maruti 'choosed' Maruti over beetle and if you think you know better you're seriously wrong.
ExtraOdinary
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C'mon guys everyone knew that. Good job prabhakaran 
Does it occur to anybody that India DID NOT purchase the viggen? Why is everybody screaming corruption, when:
1) Rajiv Gandhi was not holding any position in the government, and was acting independently.
2) The jets were not bought anyway despite his lobbying?
By the way, I wish his lobbying had worked. The viggens were multirole fighters, unlike the jaguars which are purely strike aircrafts. If we had hundreds of viggens today, instead of hundreds of jaguars, our air defence capability would have been much better. A slightly less sophisticated mirage.
However, back then there was a need for a DPSA, since India did not have anything like the MKI. Maybe that is why the jags were chosen instead. But today, since we have the MKI which can carry one helluva load to one helluva distance, we may have been better off having viggens instead of jags.
1) Rajiv Gandhi was not holding any position in the government, and was acting independently.
2) The jets were not bought anyway despite his lobbying?
By the way, I wish his lobbying had worked. The viggens were multirole fighters, unlike the jaguars which are purely strike aircrafts. If we had hundreds of viggens today, instead of hundreds of jaguars, our air defence capability would have been much better. A slightly less sophisticated mirage.
However, back then there was a need for a DPSA, since India did not have anything like the MKI. Maybe that is why the jags were chosen instead. But today, since we have the MKI which can carry one helluva load to one helluva distance, we may have been better off having viggens instead of jags.
Marxist
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There is Swedes used his influence ( https://www.wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1976NEWDE01909_b.html ) ,He was used in this deal because of his political influence ...It was US behind the withdrawl of Saab,SINCE THE VIGGEN CON-
TAINS A LARGE NUMBER OF PARTS AND COMPONENTS OF U.S.
(https://www.wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1975STATE270066_b.html)
now one thing is sure your leader acted as a middle man in this deal ,but he failed (as always )...
Srinivas
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Dude no need to give importance to Wikileaks, If you go through any Govt. diplomatic cables you will find lot of cables which can be sensationalized but reality may be different.
Julien Assange is trying very hard to open up Govt. around the world except US.
I just want to know what George Bush's diplomatic cables meant, just before Iraqi invasion, The dealings with the oil companies, the lies he told to the world,how he looted Iraqi nation, How the NATO selectively assassinated intellectuals and creamy layer of various fields there by bringing down Iraq .
But these secrets are no where seen in Wikileaks which is why it may not be credible source.
Bhai Zakir
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Truck load of BS. 
If rajiv gandhi was middlemen for the swedish then how can the swedish lost the deal when his party was at govt. and his mother was PM with full control and authority
If rajiv gandhi was middlemen for the swedish then how can the swedish lost the deal when his party was at govt. and his mother was PM with full control and authority
ejaz007
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Rajiv Gandhi was entrepreneur for Swedish jet, US cable says
NEW DELHI: Much before he became Prime Minister, during his years as an Indian Airlines pilot, Rajiv Gandhi may have been a middleman for the Swedish company Saab-Scania, when it was trying to sell its Viggen fighter aircraft to India in the 1970s.
The astonishing revelation that he was the main Indian negotiator for a massive aircraft deal for which his family connections were seen as valuable, is contained in the Kissinger Cables, the latest tranche of U.S diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks. The cables will be released on Monday.
The British SEPECAT Jaguar eventually won the race, from which Saab was forced to withdraw by the U.S.
Rajiv Gandhi, who kept away from politics until he was pushed into it by his mother Indira after the death of his brother Sanjay in 1980, came into public life with a squeaky clean image. Years later, a controversy over bribes paid in another military deal with a different Swedish company, Bofors, was to lead to Rajivs and the Congresss defeat in the 1989 elections.
A series of 41 cables between 1974 and 1976 give glimpses into the fighter sweepstakes in India, with one wryly observing that the Swedish company had understood the importance of family influences in the final decision in the fighter sweepstakes.
Dassault, the French aircraft maker, too had figured this out. According to the cable, their negotiator for the Mirage fighter aircraft was the son-in-law of Air Marshal O.P. Mehra, then Air Chief.
An October 21, 1975 cable from the New Delhi U.S. Embassy (1975NEWDE14031_b, confidential) details information given to it by a diplomat in the Swedish Embassy. Mrs Gandhis oler [sic] sons only association with the aircraft industry (to our knowledge) has been as a pilot for Indian Airlines and this is the first time we have heard his name as entrepreneur.
Having noted what the Swedes had said, the cable makes the comment that there was no additional information to either refute or confirm the information.
The cable goes on to say, Mrs Gandhi (according to the Swedish info) has made the personal decision not to purchase the British Jaguar because of her prejudices against the British. The decision would be between the Mirage [Dassault Mirage F1] and the Viggen.
In another cable (1976NEWDE00845_b, confidential), the Swedes also made it clear they understood the importance of family influences in the final decision. The cable adds: Our colleague describes Ranjiv Gandhi [sic] in flattering terms, and contends his technical expertise is of a high level. This may or may not be. Offhand, we would have thought a transport pilot [is] not the best expert to rely upon in evaluating a fighter plane, but then we are speaking of a transport pilot who has another and perhaps more relevant qualification.
The first cable adds that Air Marshal Mehras son-in-law was the chief negotiator for the competing Mirage, but it does not give his name.
Contacted in New Delhi, Navin Behl, the former Air Chiefs son-in-law, denied that he was ever involved in any such negotiations. I was never an arms dealer. Weve got nothing to do with it. I am a chartered accountant, [I was] practising then [in the 1970s], and now we're in the manufacture and export of home furnishings, he told The Hindu.
The Swedish diplomat quoted in this cable said his countrys neutral position in world politics was offsetting the Viggens higher cost. The cable also records the officials irritation at the way Mrs Gandhi is personally dominating negotiations, without [the] involvement of Indian Air Force officers. According to him, negotiations with the Swedes are for 50 Viggen aircraft to be delivered at $4-5 million per aircraft with the Swedes believing that the Indians have made the decision not to purchase any more Soviet military aircraft.
But Sweden had to do an abrupt about turn with what appears to be a bit of arm-twisting, an August 6, 1976 cable (1976STOCKH04230_b, secret) titled Saab-Scania requests for U.S. permission to export Viggen and license to India appears to confirm this with a blunt message: The USG, after careful consideration, has concluded that no version of the Viggen containing any classified U.S. components would be acceptable for transfer to India. It would also oppose any transfer to India, for local production, of the advanced U.S. technology represented in the Viggens aerodynamic design, engine and flying controls, navigation system, electronic components and weapons systems.
Another 1976 cable (1976STOCKH04231_b, secret) details the negative USG response to Saab-Scania president Curt Mileikowskys informal request for export of Viggen aircraft to India and licence to manufacture such aircraft to India. Senior Swedish officials have also emphasised that [the] most important consideration to their government was preservation of cooperation with the U.S. on military R&D, which they recognised as vital to maintenance of a viable Swedish defence effort and that the sale of the Viggen to India was of secondary consideration to them in comparison with the value of military cooperation with the U.S.
The earliest reference to the IAF upgrade plan is in a 1974 cable (1974LONDON00554_b, secret), which elaborates how the Indians had nearly completed negotiations for two Navy Corvettes and an unspecified number of Jaguar aircraft, though negotiations temporarily stalled because of the oil crisis.
India, according to the FCO South Asian Department head, had expressed desire for [a] modest alternative to the Soviets as an arms supply source, and had begun discussions with the British early last summer. The British were smelling a deal in the neighbourhood of 30-35 million pounds, probably only the first tranche of an ongoing program which could reach 100-120 million pounds over a period of time.
The Viggen pitch to India was of immense interest to the U.S. As one cable (1975STATE270066_b, secret) said, the aircraft contains a large number of parts and components of U.S. origin which are therefore subject to USG control in third-party sales.
Jaguar, meanwhile, was aggressively in the hunt. A November 19, 1975 cable (1975NEWDE15350_b, confidential), said: London has now decided to offer the Government Of India a more favorable financing arrangement, 71/4 percent over five years, than was earlier the case. The GOI has asked for two percent over 15 years, but the British tell us this is impossible. The GOI still wants 40 aircraft to be delivered within 36 months. The original British offer was 60 months, but they are now talking in terms of 40 odd months. The cable ends by saying that the final decision was expected to be political and made by the Prime Minister.
Another cable (1975PARIS33184_b confidential) details French concern that Mrs Gandhis advance toward dictatorship is now irreversible, and that French Prime Minister Chirac was unhappy with the idea of appearing to condone this development through his official visit but also nursed the hope that the visit would be able to improve sales prospects for the Mirage F-1.
By the next year, the French Embassy is convinced (1976NEWDE00845_b, confidential) that it is Prime Minister [Indira] Gandhi alone who will make the final decision, and it will be on political grounds. The Swedes are also pushing their product. The French believed that the Swedes had dropped their price and offered to take rupees in payment. They were seen as moving towards delivering the first 24 to 36 aircraft to India, with the next aircraft being assembled in India under licence.
Rajiv Gandhi was
NEW DELHI: Much before he became Prime Minister, during his years as an Indian Airlines pilot, Rajiv Gandhi may have been a middleman for the Swedish company Saab-Scania, when it was trying to sell its Viggen fighter aircraft to India in the 1970s.
The astonishing revelation that he was the main Indian negotiator for a massive aircraft deal for which his family connections were seen as valuable, is contained in the Kissinger Cables, the latest tranche of U.S diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks. The cables will be released on Monday.
The British SEPECAT Jaguar eventually won the race, from which Saab was forced to withdraw by the U.S.
Rajiv Gandhi, who kept away from politics until he was pushed into it by his mother Indira after the death of his brother Sanjay in 1980, came into public life with a squeaky clean image. Years later, a controversy over bribes paid in another military deal with a different Swedish company, Bofors, was to lead to Rajivs and the Congresss defeat in the 1989 elections.
A series of 41 cables between 1974 and 1976 give glimpses into the fighter sweepstakes in India, with one wryly observing that the Swedish company had understood the importance of family influences in the final decision in the fighter sweepstakes.
Dassault, the French aircraft maker, too had figured this out. According to the cable, their negotiator for the Mirage fighter aircraft was the son-in-law of Air Marshal O.P. Mehra, then Air Chief.
An October 21, 1975 cable from the New Delhi U.S. Embassy (1975NEWDE14031_b, confidential) details information given to it by a diplomat in the Swedish Embassy. Mrs Gandhis oler [sic] sons only association with the aircraft industry (to our knowledge) has been as a pilot for Indian Airlines and this is the first time we have heard his name as entrepreneur.
Having noted what the Swedes had said, the cable makes the comment that there was no additional information to either refute or confirm the information.
The cable goes on to say, Mrs Gandhi (according to the Swedish info) has made the personal decision not to purchase the British Jaguar because of her prejudices against the British. The decision would be between the Mirage [Dassault Mirage F1] and the Viggen.
In another cable (1976NEWDE00845_b, confidential), the Swedes also made it clear they understood the importance of family influences in the final decision. The cable adds: Our colleague describes Ranjiv Gandhi [sic] in flattering terms, and contends his technical expertise is of a high level. This may or may not be. Offhand, we would have thought a transport pilot [is] not the best expert to rely upon in evaluating a fighter plane, but then we are speaking of a transport pilot who has another and perhaps more relevant qualification.
The first cable adds that Air Marshal Mehras son-in-law was the chief negotiator for the competing Mirage, but it does not give his name.
Contacted in New Delhi, Navin Behl, the former Air Chiefs son-in-law, denied that he was ever involved in any such negotiations. I was never an arms dealer. Weve got nothing to do with it. I am a chartered accountant, [I was] practising then [in the 1970s], and now we're in the manufacture and export of home furnishings, he told The Hindu.
The Swedish diplomat quoted in this cable said his countrys neutral position in world politics was offsetting the Viggens higher cost. The cable also records the officials irritation at the way Mrs Gandhi is personally dominating negotiations, without [the] involvement of Indian Air Force officers. According to him, negotiations with the Swedes are for 50 Viggen aircraft to be delivered at $4-5 million per aircraft with the Swedes believing that the Indians have made the decision not to purchase any more Soviet military aircraft.
But Sweden had to do an abrupt about turn with what appears to be a bit of arm-twisting, an August 6, 1976 cable (1976STOCKH04230_b, secret) titled Saab-Scania requests for U.S. permission to export Viggen and license to India appears to confirm this with a blunt message: The USG, after careful consideration, has concluded that no version of the Viggen containing any classified U.S. components would be acceptable for transfer to India. It would also oppose any transfer to India, for local production, of the advanced U.S. technology represented in the Viggens aerodynamic design, engine and flying controls, navigation system, electronic components and weapons systems.
Another 1976 cable (1976STOCKH04231_b, secret) details the negative USG response to Saab-Scania president Curt Mileikowskys informal request for export of Viggen aircraft to India and licence to manufacture such aircraft to India. Senior Swedish officials have also emphasised that [the] most important consideration to their government was preservation of cooperation with the U.S. on military R&D, which they recognised as vital to maintenance of a viable Swedish defence effort and that the sale of the Viggen to India was of secondary consideration to them in comparison with the value of military cooperation with the U.S.
The earliest reference to the IAF upgrade plan is in a 1974 cable (1974LONDON00554_b, secret), which elaborates how the Indians had nearly completed negotiations for two Navy Corvettes and an unspecified number of Jaguar aircraft, though negotiations temporarily stalled because of the oil crisis.
India, according to the FCO South Asian Department head, had expressed desire for [a] modest alternative to the Soviets as an arms supply source, and had begun discussions with the British early last summer. The British were smelling a deal in the neighbourhood of 30-35 million pounds, probably only the first tranche of an ongoing program which could reach 100-120 million pounds over a period of time.
The Viggen pitch to India was of immense interest to the U.S. As one cable (1975STATE270066_b, secret) said, the aircraft contains a large number of parts and components of U.S. origin which are therefore subject to USG control in third-party sales.
Jaguar, meanwhile, was aggressively in the hunt. A November 19, 1975 cable (1975NEWDE15350_b, confidential), said: London has now decided to offer the Government Of India a more favorable financing arrangement, 71/4 percent over five years, than was earlier the case. The GOI has asked for two percent over 15 years, but the British tell us this is impossible. The GOI still wants 40 aircraft to be delivered within 36 months. The original British offer was 60 months, but they are now talking in terms of 40 odd months. The cable ends by saying that the final decision was expected to be political and made by the Prime Minister.
Another cable (1975PARIS33184_b confidential) details French concern that Mrs Gandhis advance toward dictatorship is now irreversible, and that French Prime Minister Chirac was unhappy with the idea of appearing to condone this development through his official visit but also nursed the hope that the visit would be able to improve sales prospects for the Mirage F-1.
By the next year, the French Embassy is convinced (1976NEWDE00845_b, confidential) that it is Prime Minister [Indira] Gandhi alone who will make the final decision, and it will be on political grounds. The Swedes are also pushing their product. The French believed that the Swedes had dropped their price and offered to take rupees in payment. They were seen as moving towards delivering the first 24 to 36 aircraft to India, with the next aircraft being assembled in India under licence.
Rajiv Gandhi was
kurup
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Truck load of BS.
If rajiv gandhi was middlemen for the swedish then how can the swedish lost the deal when his party was at govt. and his mother was PM with full control and authority
Because swedish took back their proposal as US opposed selling the viggen to India and viggen used considerable US components.
Bang Galore
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A different era, I don't know whether there was a rule against what Rajiv Gandhi did. He dabbled in many things, politics was not his interest. Had it not been for the death of his brother, by all accounts, he would have not come to politics at all. Not really sure that there is much here, after all his brother used his influence to create Maruti in India with Suzuki's collaboration & got the GoI to invest. That would seem a bigger conflict of interest than this, a deal which did not happen.
Not Sure
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What an innocent media we got, that out of hundreds of thousands of leaks, this particular cable comes to light just before the elections.
Anyway, becoming an agent for any company is not a crime, so why such a ruckus? Even more so when we see that although Indira Gandhi was one of the most powerful prime ministers, yet the deal fell through.
But most interesting is how all the Indian members here are displaying their herd mentality by very conveniently missing the part in the OP that states "that the US officials have “no additional information to either refute or confirm the above information"."
Anyway, becoming an agent for any company is not a crime, so why such a ruckus? Even more so when we see that although Indira Gandhi was one of the most powerful prime ministers, yet the deal fell through.
But most interesting is how all the Indian members here are displaying their herd mentality by very conveniently missing the part in the OP that states "that the US officials have “no additional information to either refute or confirm the above information"."
Marxist
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He was son of Prime minister and Second in the line of succession at that time ,Swedes used him as a middle man and used his influence (Political and Family) ...As Son of a PM he done a wrong thing by working for a Foreign company and by trying to Influence the procurement process
And one thing is clear that Rajiv Gandhi was well known to Swedish Defense Industry right from 1975 ....12 years before Bofors Scandal
