Oooops, the Henderson Brookes report blames Nehru for starting the war with China... LOL...
Nehru the warmonger provoked the Chinese and got a severe beating in return. What an idiot!
Report rips open China war wound - The Times of India
Report rips open China war wound
KOLKATA: It is a defence debacle that continues to prick more than 50 years after it led to independent India's first war humiliation. The wounds of the Chinese misadventure of 1962 have been ripped open by the secret military report blaming the Nehru administration for the ill-planned action along the Himalayan border, which has now been put on the Internet. The Henderson Brooks report, based on which former Australian journalist Neville Maxwell had written his celebrated book 'India's China War' has touched a raw nerve in Kolkata where the then undivided Communist Party had split on the decision to go to war with China.
The report has been posted on Maxwell's website. It holds the Delhi administration responsible quite explicitly and states that the decision to implement the 'Forward Policy' - that involved setting up military posts beyond the line of control - was not founded on a sound military strategy.
"Orders given by the GS in December 1961 for implementation of major bases for restoring a military situation as laid down by the government. Indeed Gen Kaul as chief of general staff and director of military operations, time and again, ordered in furtherance of the 'Forward Policy' the establishment of individual posts, overruling protests by the western command," the report said.
It goes on to add that the defence ministry might have put pressure. "...but it was the duty of the army chief to have pointed out the unsoundness of the 'Forward Policy' without the means to implement it," the report added.
India and Nehru, believes veteran Naxalite leader Azizul Haque, had been acting under pressure from USA which wanted India to support the Tibetan cause. "The '62 war can't be seen in isolation from the events of 1959 when Dalai Lama had sought refuge in India. It led to a strong ill-feeling on the part of China and started spoiling relations between the two countries. Things took a turn for the worse when India airdropped 19 paratroopers inside Tibet and they were killed by Chinese troops. It was termed inhuman in India, but the fact remains that they had intruded. Soon, Nehru ordered the army to 'push out' Chinese troops, which was a wrong move," said Haque.
He went on to add that Bertrand Russell's book 'Unarmed Victory', too, had blamed India for the war. "Russell had concluded unhesitatingly that China had no intention to wage war against India. The book was banned by Nehru," said Haque.
Retired major general Arun Roye said the contents of the report were "well-known in military circles and it was 100% correct". "The political leadership of that time forced the army into this misadventure and put a non-combatant officer (Gen Kaul) in charge," Roye said.
Binoda Kumar Mishra, director, Center for Studies in International Relations & Development, and Convener of K2K (Kolkata to Kunming) Forum, however, disagreed with Neville Maxwell's analysis and conclusion that India was the aggressor in 1962. "If we follow the sequence of developments since 1950 when the process of annexation of Tibet by China started, we will see that the Chinese started implementing their 'forward policy' of gaining control of Indian territory. India's forward policy was in response to China's forward policy. It was natural for India to try and gain control of as much territory as possible in order to negotiate from a position of strength during the negotiations to solve the border dispute that China had been proposing. Where India erred was in its tactics. Our forward policy should have been backed by solid military planning and preparations and a series of errors were committed on this," he said.
Former foreign secretary Krishnan Srinivasan felt that one can differ on the interpretation of the report but not on facts. "It's quite surprising that the government has not declassified the report even after 52 years. The Henderson Brooks report rightly criticizes the intelligence machinery, favouritism in appointment of defence officers, the army's unpreparedness and the naivety of the political leadership," Srinivasan said.
He added that the reason why no government wanted to start this debate was that they did not wish to ruffle China's feathers. "Also, Congress and Congress-led governments wanted to avoid tarnishing Nehru's image which this report has done," he said.
Bookstores, however, were happy about the controversy, for it has revived an interest in Maxwell's book. Starmark has already ordered copies of 'India's China War' for it did not have it in stock. "We have ordered five copies each for our five outlets. We will see the reaction and then order more," said Gautam Jatia of Starmark. Crossword, too, is planning to stock the book.
Report rips open China war wound - The Times of India
Report rips open China war wound
KOLKATA: It is a defence debacle that continues to prick more than 50 years after it led to independent India's first war humiliation. The wounds of the Chinese misadventure of 1962 have been ripped open by the secret military report blaming the Nehru administration for the ill-planned action along the Himalayan border, which has now been put on the Internet. The Henderson Brooks report, based on which former Australian journalist Neville Maxwell had written his celebrated book 'India's China War' has touched a raw nerve in Kolkata where the then undivided Communist Party had split on the decision to go to war with China.
The report has been posted on Maxwell's website. It holds the Delhi administration responsible quite explicitly and states that the decision to implement the 'Forward Policy' - that involved setting up military posts beyond the line of control - was not founded on a sound military strategy.
"Orders given by the GS in December 1961 for implementation of major bases for restoring a military situation as laid down by the government. Indeed Gen Kaul as chief of general staff and director of military operations, time and again, ordered in furtherance of the 'Forward Policy' the establishment of individual posts, overruling protests by the western command," the report said.
It goes on to add that the defence ministry might have put pressure. "...but it was the duty of the army chief to have pointed out the unsoundness of the 'Forward Policy' without the means to implement it," the report added.
India and Nehru, believes veteran Naxalite leader Azizul Haque, had been acting under pressure from USA which wanted India to support the Tibetan cause. "The '62 war can't be seen in isolation from the events of 1959 when Dalai Lama had sought refuge in India. It led to a strong ill-feeling on the part of China and started spoiling relations between the two countries. Things took a turn for the worse when India airdropped 19 paratroopers inside Tibet and they were killed by Chinese troops. It was termed inhuman in India, but the fact remains that they had intruded. Soon, Nehru ordered the army to 'push out' Chinese troops, which was a wrong move," said Haque.
He went on to add that Bertrand Russell's book 'Unarmed Victory', too, had blamed India for the war. "Russell had concluded unhesitatingly that China had no intention to wage war against India. The book was banned by Nehru," said Haque.
Retired major general Arun Roye said the contents of the report were "well-known in military circles and it was 100% correct". "The political leadership of that time forced the army into this misadventure and put a non-combatant officer (Gen Kaul) in charge," Roye said.
Binoda Kumar Mishra, director, Center for Studies in International Relations & Development, and Convener of K2K (Kolkata to Kunming) Forum, however, disagreed with Neville Maxwell's analysis and conclusion that India was the aggressor in 1962. "If we follow the sequence of developments since 1950 when the process of annexation of Tibet by China started, we will see that the Chinese started implementing their 'forward policy' of gaining control of Indian territory. India's forward policy was in response to China's forward policy. It was natural for India to try and gain control of as much territory as possible in order to negotiate from a position of strength during the negotiations to solve the border dispute that China had been proposing. Where India erred was in its tactics. Our forward policy should have been backed by solid military planning and preparations and a series of errors were committed on this," he said.
Former foreign secretary Krishnan Srinivasan felt that one can differ on the interpretation of the report but not on facts. "It's quite surprising that the government has not declassified the report even after 52 years. The Henderson Brooks report rightly criticizes the intelligence machinery, favouritism in appointment of defence officers, the army's unpreparedness and the naivety of the political leadership," Srinivasan said.
He added that the reason why no government wanted to start this debate was that they did not wish to ruffle China's feathers. "Also, Congress and Congress-led governments wanted to avoid tarnishing Nehru's image which this report has done," he said.
Bookstores, however, were happy about the controversy, for it has revived an interest in Maxwell's book. Starmark has already ordered copies of 'India's China War' for it did not have it in stock. "We have ordered five copies each for our five outlets. We will see the reaction and then order more," said Gautam Jatia of Starmark. Crossword, too, is planning to stock the book.
Nehru the warmonger provoked the Chinese and got a severe beating in return. What an idiot!
Report rips open China war wound - The Times of India
Report rips open China war wound
KOLKATA: It is a defence debacle that continues to prick more than 50 years after it led to independent India's first war humiliation. The wounds of the Chinese misadventure of 1962 have been ripped open by the secret military report blaming the Nehru administration for the ill-planned action along the Himalayan border, which has now been put on the Internet. The Henderson Brooks report, based on which former Australian journalist Neville Maxwell had written his celebrated book 'India's China War' has touched a raw nerve in Kolkata where the then undivided Communist Party had split on the decision to go to war with China.
The report has been posted on Maxwell's website. It holds the Delhi administration responsible quite explicitly and states that the decision to implement the 'Forward Policy' - that involved setting up military posts beyond the line of control - was not founded on a sound military strategy.
"Orders given by the GS in December 1961 for implementation of major bases for restoring a military situation as laid down by the government. Indeed Gen Kaul as chief of general staff and director of military operations, time and again, ordered in furtherance of the 'Forward Policy' the establishment of individual posts, overruling protests by the western command," the report said.
It goes on to add that the defence ministry might have put pressure. "...but it was the duty of the army chief to have pointed out the unsoundness of the 'Forward Policy' without the means to implement it," the report added.
India and Nehru, believes veteran Naxalite leader Azizul Haque, had been acting under pressure from USA which wanted India to support the Tibetan cause. "The '62 war can't be seen in isolation from the events of 1959 when Dalai Lama had sought refuge in India. It led to a strong ill-feeling on the part of China and started spoiling relations between the two countries. Things took a turn for the worse when India airdropped 19 paratroopers inside Tibet and they were killed by Chinese troops. It was termed inhuman in India, but the fact remains that they had intruded. Soon, Nehru ordered the army to 'push out' Chinese troops, which was a wrong move," said Haque.
He went on to add that Bertrand Russell's book 'Unarmed Victory', too, had blamed India for the war. "Russell had concluded unhesitatingly that China had no intention to wage war against India. The book was banned by Nehru," said Haque.
Retired major general Arun Roye said the contents of the report were "well-known in military circles and it was 100% correct". "The political leadership of that time forced the army into this misadventure and put a non-combatant officer (Gen Kaul) in charge," Roye said.
Binoda Kumar Mishra, director, Center for Studies in International Relations & Development, and Convener of K2K (Kolkata to Kunming) Forum, however, disagreed with Neville Maxwell's analysis and conclusion that India was the aggressor in 1962. "If we follow the sequence of developments since 1950 when the process of annexation of Tibet by China started, we will see that the Chinese started implementing their 'forward policy' of gaining control of Indian territory. India's forward policy was in response to China's forward policy. It was natural for India to try and gain control of as much territory as possible in order to negotiate from a position of strength during the negotiations to solve the border dispute that China had been proposing. Where India erred was in its tactics. Our forward policy should have been backed by solid military planning and preparations and a series of errors were committed on this," he said.
Former foreign secretary Krishnan Srinivasan felt that one can differ on the interpretation of the report but not on facts. "It's quite surprising that the government has not declassified the report even after 52 years. The Henderson Brooks report rightly criticizes the intelligence machinery, favouritism in appointment of defence officers, the army's unpreparedness and the naivety of the political leadership," Srinivasan said.
He added that the reason why no government wanted to start this debate was that they did not wish to ruffle China's feathers. "Also, Congress and Congress-led governments wanted to avoid tarnishing Nehru's image which this report has done," he said.
Bookstores, however, were happy about the controversy, for it has revived an interest in Maxwell's book. Starmark has already ordered copies of 'India's China War' for it did not have it in stock. "We have ordered five copies each for our five outlets. We will see the reaction and then order more," said Gautam Jatia of Starmark. Crossword, too, is planning to stock the book.
Report rips open China war wound - The Times of India
Report rips open China war wound
KOLKATA: It is a defence debacle that continues to prick more than 50 years after it led to independent India's first war humiliation. The wounds of the Chinese misadventure of 1962 have been ripped open by the secret military report blaming the Nehru administration for the ill-planned action along the Himalayan border, which has now been put on the Internet. The Henderson Brooks report, based on which former Australian journalist Neville Maxwell had written his celebrated book 'India's China War' has touched a raw nerve in Kolkata where the then undivided Communist Party had split on the decision to go to war with China.
The report has been posted on Maxwell's website. It holds the Delhi administration responsible quite explicitly and states that the decision to implement the 'Forward Policy' - that involved setting up military posts beyond the line of control - was not founded on a sound military strategy.
"Orders given by the GS in December 1961 for implementation of major bases for restoring a military situation as laid down by the government. Indeed Gen Kaul as chief of general staff and director of military operations, time and again, ordered in furtherance of the 'Forward Policy' the establishment of individual posts, overruling protests by the western command," the report said.
It goes on to add that the defence ministry might have put pressure. "...but it was the duty of the army chief to have pointed out the unsoundness of the 'Forward Policy' without the means to implement it," the report added.
India and Nehru, believes veteran Naxalite leader Azizul Haque, had been acting under pressure from USA which wanted India to support the Tibetan cause. "The '62 war can't be seen in isolation from the events of 1959 when Dalai Lama had sought refuge in India. It led to a strong ill-feeling on the part of China and started spoiling relations between the two countries. Things took a turn for the worse when India airdropped 19 paratroopers inside Tibet and they were killed by Chinese troops. It was termed inhuman in India, but the fact remains that they had intruded. Soon, Nehru ordered the army to 'push out' Chinese troops, which was a wrong move," said Haque.
He went on to add that Bertrand Russell's book 'Unarmed Victory', too, had blamed India for the war. "Russell had concluded unhesitatingly that China had no intention to wage war against India. The book was banned by Nehru," said Haque.
Retired major general Arun Roye said the contents of the report were "well-known in military circles and it was 100% correct". "The political leadership of that time forced the army into this misadventure and put a non-combatant officer (Gen Kaul) in charge," Roye said.
Binoda Kumar Mishra, director, Center for Studies in International Relations & Development, and Convener of K2K (Kolkata to Kunming) Forum, however, disagreed with Neville Maxwell's analysis and conclusion that India was the aggressor in 1962. "If we follow the sequence of developments since 1950 when the process of annexation of Tibet by China started, we will see that the Chinese started implementing their 'forward policy' of gaining control of Indian territory. India's forward policy was in response to China's forward policy. It was natural for India to try and gain control of as much territory as possible in order to negotiate from a position of strength during the negotiations to solve the border dispute that China had been proposing. Where India erred was in its tactics. Our forward policy should have been backed by solid military planning and preparations and a series of errors were committed on this," he said.
Former foreign secretary Krishnan Srinivasan felt that one can differ on the interpretation of the report but not on facts. "It's quite surprising that the government has not declassified the report even after 52 years. The Henderson Brooks report rightly criticizes the intelligence machinery, favouritism in appointment of defence officers, the army's unpreparedness and the naivety of the political leadership," Srinivasan said.
He added that the reason why no government wanted to start this debate was that they did not wish to ruffle China's feathers. "Also, Congress and Congress-led governments wanted to avoid tarnishing Nehru's image which this report has done," he said.
Bookstores, however, were happy about the controversy, for it has revived an interest in Maxwell's book. Starmark has already ordered copies of 'India's China War' for it did not have it in stock. "We have ordered five copies each for our five outlets. We will see the reaction and then order more," said Gautam Jatia of Starmark. Crossword, too, is planning to stock the book.
