“It is clear….that the present operations are not mere frontier skirmishes but a serious attempt to seize large chunks of India’s territory…. A massive national effort will, however, be required if the Army is to obtain all its needs. Whatever the rights and wrongs of our China policy (and it cannot be denied that miscalculations have been made), the time has come for the people to close ranks and give the Government solid support.”
OCTOBER 23, 1962
Naked aggression
ON SATURDAY MORNING, LARGE-SCALE CHINESE FORCES overwhelmed our frontier posts at Dhola and Khinzemane and crossed the Namka Chu (Kechilang) river which is of strategic importance. These places are in the North-East Frontier Agency, east of Bhutan, and are on the Indian side of the McMahon Line. At the same time, the Chinese overwhelmed several frontier posts in Ladakh. Thus China has unleashed an undeclared war against us in pursuance of her expansionist aims. The Prime Minister has characterised the action as “unabashed aggression by an unscrupulous opponent”. One of the aims, no doubt, is to demonstrate to the smaller Himalayan States as well as to other Asian States that China is a great Power which can and will enforce her claims to border areas whatever the real legal position. The aggressor can always choose where he will break through with numerically superior forces, but the defender can exact a heavy toll if he has strong points in the area, and this is what we have done. The Chinese have the additional advantage that their bases are close to the point of attack while our forces have difficult and inaccessible mountain ranges to cross on mule-back or on foot.
The strategic aim of the Chinese appears to be to seize the frontier areas which they claim and dig themselves in before the onset of winter when further fighting will be difficult. They have obviously prepared for this campaign over many months, since their headquarters in Tibet is a long way from China proper and is linked with it only by three major roads. Chinese forces in Tibet are broadly estimated at 200,000 men and to keep them equipped and supplied would require long and careful preparation. This disposes of the story that the Chinese soldiers were only hitting back at Indian attacks on their frontier guards. It is clear from what happened on Saturday and following days that the present operations are not mere frontier skirmishes but a serious attempt to seize large chunks of India’s territory. Although the Government of India have been increasing our military preparedness in the recent past, the offensive in certain specific areas took us by surprise. We obviously have defence posts over the whole region and stiff fighting may be expected in the coming weeks.
A massive national effort will, however, be required if the Army is to obtain all its needs. Whatever the rights and wrongs of our China policy (and it cannot be denied that miscalculations have been made), the time has come for the people to close ranks and give the Government solid support. Already voices have been raised proposing political moves of all kinds, including the severance of diplomatic relations with China, refusal of further negotiations and so on. Precipitate and strong action is the natural first reaction in a crisis but it is not justified by long-term considerations. The Government’s hands regarding diplomatic action should not be tied in advance.
At the same time, the Government should be more forthcoming than they have been so far in the matter of giving information and present a clear picture to the Parliament and the Press of what is happening and how the Government are dealing with the situation. Opposition parties should be taken into confidence as Mr. Nehru has already done, except perhaps the Communists who have taken an equivocal attitude to the issue of Chinese aggression. The Defence Ministry should continue to brief the Press as to the progress of the operations. All this is absolutely essential if the people’s confidence in the Government is to be maintained. The Press, however, also has a corresponding duty not to circulate idle rumours which may have the effect of lowering public morale. Reports from abroad show that India enjoys widespread support and sympathy from other countries. We have taken special care not to embroil our dispute with China in the cold war, despite the flood of Chinese propaganda trying to make out that we are depending upon other and more powerful Western nations. It is for us to defend our own border obtaining equipment and arms quickly from wherever we can and in greater quantities in the light of the serious developments. The justice for our cause should be evident to all, no less to Russia and other Communist States than to the Western Powers. We had done our best to avoid a war, but we could offer to negotiate only on honourable terms and not when our soil is being increasingly occupied by the Chinese.
Reference:
The First 100
A Selection of Editorials, 1878-1978, THE HINDU, VOLUME I