Jackie Kennedy in India – and how she charmed
Barrack Obama is in Delhi, charming the Indians. The papers
are full of what’s going on. A great relationship is being forged. US’s icy
relations with Cuba are on the thaw.But that made me think of a period in the
past, 53 years ago, when an attempt was made, to forge a relationship between
India and the USA. The first lady was the emissary, and she was none other than
the graceful Jacqueline Kennedy Bouvier.
So I take you to the 60’s, a period which turned out to be
terrible for India. Nehru’s grip at the age of 70 was still strong at the turn
of the 60’s, but the Chinese border issue was taking alarming proportions and crafty
Krishna Menon was stirring the pot at home and squabbling with the military as
the defense minister.
Most of you would not know how it was in those days, as it
was a time when electricity had yet to reach many villages, we had limited
public transportation, listening to valve radios for news or reading the newspaper
in unison, music was enjoyed at public performances, a time when we had rudimentary
schooling in most parts, and joint families depended on farming. Those were
days when postmen, doctors and teachers were demi gods and a government job
something to look up to. Saigal, Noorjehan and a few others ruled the roost and
a trip to the movie theatre with the grainy newsreel before the B&W film, a
must watch to see the food scarcity in Bihar and the floods in Bengal. Bees
Saal Baad was the big hit of 62. Out there in the big bad world, lots of things
were happening. While on one hand the Beatles were in infancy of their
formation and Joan Baez just becoming popular for her activism, the cold war
peaking and the Vietnam War was dragging on.
As all this was going on, Galbraith, US ambassador in India
was busy with twin objectives. He had to get India on the US side, weaning them
away from the USSR who became an ally following USA’s treaty with Pakistan. Close
ties between the countries were further consolidated by a mutual defense treaty
signed in May 1954, after which hundreds of Pakistani military officers began
to regularly train in the United States. During Eisenhower’s time, it was also
a secret base for reconnaissance on the USSR ICBM program. Ayub Khan had become
a good friend of the US and U2 spy missions had begun from Peshawar. Allan
Dulles of the CIA was the father of the critical alliance with Pakistan’s ISI.
On May Day, 1960, Francis Gary Powers left the US base in
Peshawar on a mission to photograph the ICBM sites inside the Soviet Union. It
would be the twenty-fourth U-2 spy mission over Soviet territory. Soviet Air Defense
Forces were on red alert as they suspected a U-2 flight and Powers was
subsequently shot down. Eisenhower almost resigned in the bungling following
that incident after this covert espionage activity had been exposed. The
incident compromised Pakistan's security and affected relations between it and
the United States. However, the Cold War was still in full force and a
replacement intelligence gathering reconnaissance aircraft was required. For a while,
RB-57D models were flown along the air borders of both the USSR and Communist
China by the PAF.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto a great fan of Chou En Lai was a minister
in Ayub Khan’s cabinet and supported eliminating the US presence. President
Johnson apparently wanted him fired and Bhutto finally had to quit. Ironically,
the U2 was already outdated by the time the Soviets shot it down as it was
quietly replaced by the Corona mission using the Discoverer spy satellites, soon
after.
The Americans were getting nervous while the Chinese were
getting busy, for they were developing both missiles and nuclear bombs. With
Pakistan’s support not forthcoming, there was only one way to keep an eye on
the Chinese, and for that they needed India’s support. To get broad support,
two people had to be influenced, Krishna Menon and Nehru. Krishna Menon was
simply not a possibility, and the various actions to sideline him were gaining steam.
Simultaneously, Nehru had to be charmed. Galbraith launched his plan (actually
a number of plans, and this article will cover only one, and it involved Jackie).
Kennedy also had other ideas about global relationships and
world peace. His idea was always to develop India as a counterweight against
China’s rise in Asia and was exasperated with Pakistan’s refusal to understand
the situation and its continuous squabble about Kashmir and other minor issues.
It was with this in mind that Galbraith was deputed to Delhi as ambassador with
a primary mission – Sideline Menon, woo Nehru.
On Sept 13th 1961, Galbraith broached the idea of
a trip to India by JKB. JFK applauded the idea according to Galbraith’s memoirs
and when he talked to Jackie about this, she was enchanted and wanted to travel
in October/November, the following month. Thus Nov 20th was planned
as the date for the private and informal trip of Jackie to India accompanied by
her sister princess Lee Radziwill (Some trivia - do you know that Onasis was Lee’s
boyfriend and eventually her elder sister Jackie married her later?). Meeting
Nehru on Oct 28th to confirm the invitation, Galbraith notes that
Nehru is equally delighted and insists Jackie stay in his house for part of the
duration. By then, JFK is troubled over many other matters, the Cuban Bay of
Pigs incidents, Vietnam and the USSR.
On Nov 6th, a moody Nehru visits Washington with
Indira in tow and the meeting and discussions did not amount to much, in fact Nehru
had lost all interest midway. JKB, a bit miffed postponed her visit to January.
Incidentally, as a souvenir of the visit, the US announced help to set up IIT
Kanpur.
Soon preparations start for Jackie’s trip but the Indian
protocol organizers are alarmed that Jackie wants to visit Konark. They are
absolutely worried about the prospect of a wrong photograph of hers in a hugely
pornographic ambience. In the midst of this Yuri Gagarin visits Delhi for a
reception, which Galbraith attends. The play ‘Passage to India’ had just opened
on Broadway and people in America are getting a better feel of India. At this
point of time the Goa incident takes place.
This became a problem for the US since Dulles had already taken a stand by agreeing with the Portuguese foreign minister that Goa was a Portuguese province and not a colony. Though Galbraith did not agree with this basis, he tried to persuade Nehru not to use force. The Portuguese even suggested that Pakistan move some troops to scare the Indians and dissuade them from going into Goa. In a military operation led by Gen Candeth, on 18th and 19th December 1961, Indian troops capture Goa with little resistance and no causalities. The governor-general of Portuguese India surrenders.
Cables pour in from America asking Galbraith to get Americans
out of troubles way from Goa.Galbraith wittily responds that there was just
one person there other than some reporters and that they would be better off in
Goa than at the New Jersey turnpike, on an average day. JFK tells BK Nehru in
private that India should have done it 15 years ago instead of preaching
morality to US for 15 years. He compares it to the incident when the priest is
caught coming out of the brothel door.
Indians in the Delhi bureaucracy worry on rumors that JBK’s
trip might be cancelled. Menon approaches the Americans for military equipment
as he is worried about the Chinese on the border. Galbraith recommends that JBK
delay her trip and cut it short to give the right counter message to India. In
the meantime Galbraith falls sick with an infected sinus for a few days and is
recuperating in Switzerland. During this, Pakistan tried to raise a ruckus by
bringing up Kashmir at the Security Council. Kennedy warns Galbraith that he
has no idea what traveling around with Jackie would be like and suggests that
Galbraith take a breather in Florida before the event. Krishna Menon remarks in
good humor that Galbraith is becoming too pro Indian (Sadly Menon has no idea
what is coming – more about it another day)…
Republic day is on and JKB delays her trip by a week.
Galbraith worries about all the work in rearranging schedules and despairs on
the thousands of rupees spent. A huge number of animals arrive from America for
the Delhi Zoo, perhaps there just in case JKB falls homesick.
Nehru in the meantime has decorated his hallway with picture
of his strolling with JKB, according to Galbraith, he is already in love. Krishna
Menon is out of town campaigning and so the capital is slightly pro American.
The embassy worries about trifles like flowerbed lighting for JKB’s dinner,
should they be floating Diwali candles or flashing lights? Two tiger cubs are placed
in the house (Gerry Gerald’s house – duly repainted and refurnished for the
occasion) JBK was to occupy, just in case she wants to pet them. A rehearsal
dinner is carried out.
March 13th – JKB arrives and the car meant to
take the ambassador is locked out, with the keys inside. Here in USA, they
would have AAA take care of it by sliding a flat blade through the window, but
in Delhi they had no such option and a Mercedes was sent. JKB arrived in an Air
India plane, disembarked in a radioactive pink suit accompanied by Lee, a
personal maid and a secret service team. Nehru, Indira, Menon and a ‘million’
children received them. More people lined up than did for Lyndon Johnson.
They meet President Rajendra Prasad, a remarkably
uncommunicative man, then walkabout in the Moghul gardens, lay roses at the Rajghat
and go to the chancery to meet the embassy staff. A lovely lunch follows at the
Raj Bhavan where S Radhakrishnana VP and Nehru kept Jackie in good humor with
their entertaining talk. The next day she is moved to the PM’s house as a guest
and goes riding which is her pet hobby, doing well, but Bubbles the prince of
Jaipur has a dreadful fall from his horse. The guests are set in a flower petal
canopied area. Singing and dancing follow at Nehru’s house, and Jackie in a
turquoise dress glows amidst gorgeous Indian women in glittering sarees, a
stunning array, as reported. Jackie then visits Agra in the presidential train,
posing for photographs that have since then became famous. They also visited
the AIMS aided by USA.
Like always things did not go right next, the plane that was
to take Jackie to Benares had a problem and within no time the IAF sent a
plane, and a few others were also made available, but Jackie chose to go by
train. She loved them and had previously got herself photographed next to an
engine with its driver in Agra. There was alarm when a ‘Made in Poland’ label
was spotted in the photo frame, but it was shrugged off.
The Benares trip was quite a crowded event where she
purchased silk material for a Presidential coat and got photographed next to
the Ashoka pillar, visited a Buddhist temple and as joked by Galbraith, passed
on the opportunity to die in Benares and go straight to heaven. Later they flew
to Udaipur. The main palace was where they settled for the evening while the
lake palace on the Pichola Lake was being converted into a hotel. And that was
where she got christened the America maharani, by the thousands of screaming children.
Perhaps their teacher taught them. Jackie wanted to give the secret service the
slip and meet the children, but the Indian police refused permission. Jaipur
presented problems when the maharajah took off with Jackie, as he was a friend
of Lee’s and left the official entourage behind. Later they wanted to take her
to the city palace, a private residence but this would not be quite right.
Eventually this was arranged and Galbraith gets fascinated by the vivacious
maharani – Gayatri Devi.
The next day is the grand gala which goes off splendidly after
a final visit to the Nehru household where Holi was celebrated and where she
applied a tikka on his forehead and Nehru doing likewise. The day after she
flies off to Lahore to be a guest of Pakistan and Ayub Khan. She took away some
jeweled brocade and some handbags from Benares, too expensive for her plans and
the newspapers reported that Jackie spent $600 in less than 5 minutes.
Jackie met Galbraith later in USA, presented him with a well
reported kiss at the airport and thanked him profusely for a beautiful trip to
India. Galbraith, happy with his ambassadorial success, returned and went off
on a trip to Kerala. Meeting Nehru later, he found the photo had been moved to Nehru’s
upstairs sitting room – that of his walking arm in arm with Jackie in the white
house garden. So much from the Ambassadors diary. Later he wrote – When Mrs Kennedy came to N Delhi in March of
1962, Nehru went to the airport to greet her and at the earliest opportunity
moved her from the quarters we had contrived, to his own house. There, she had
her sister occupied the apartment once inhabited by Edwina Mountbatten, and a
great Nehru favorite, Nehru did not fail to tell of the earlier tenant, and he
devoted himself fully to his guests instruction and enjoyment. As the resident
expert, I was commissioned to buy an 18th century miniature to be
presented to her by the prime minister.
Enroute her return, Jackie met the British queen and had a
delightful English lunch. Back in America, she talked incessantly of her trip
to India.
The world was soon on the brink of a nuclear war, with the
Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. It was the moment when the two
superpowers came closest to nuclear conflict. After a critical period, Khrushchev
finally pulled back stating “If there is no intention to doom the world to the
catastrophe of thermonuclear war, then let us not only relax the forces pulling
on the ends of the rope, let us take measures to untie that knot. We are ready
for this”.
In an effort to prevent this from happening again, a direct
telephone link between the White House and the Kremlin was established; it
became known as the “Hotline.”
A couple of years later, Nehru collapsed on the floor of the
Lok Sabha. This visit by Jaqueline was as they say, perhaps the last spring in
his life….
Jackie left and Delhi went back to what it was, a great big
dusty bureaucratic capital full of backbiting politicians. While they argued,
the Chinese took a bite off the North East, jolted the Indian mindset and
alarmed the world. With only UAE supporting India and the other NAM nations desisting
from condemning China, the lofty NAM ideal of Nehru disintegrated. As John
Scofield of National Geographic wrote - India’s cherished neutrality lay
shattered—perhaps forever—and the nation was united as never before. The arms
race in the subcontinent was soon to begin.
Mukesh and Rafi became famous, Lata got her Filmfare award
for Kahi deep jale kahe dil, Bandini with
Dharmendra won the national award and actress Sreedevi, my favorite actress was
born while I was packed off to a kindergarten in Calicut.
I just heard that India and USA will soon establish a direct
hotline between the respective heads of state.
Some Tidbits
Jackie carried 48 pairs of gloves to remain clean in India. Two
lady reporters carry, in addition to typewriters, hatboxes containing wigs, and
three take notes while wearing little white gloves.
Jackie never forgot how elegant the women in India looked in
their diaphanous saris gracefully draped across the contours of their bodies. A
friend of Jean Kennedy Smith, Jackie's sister-in-law, remembers seeing Jackie
wearing a sari at a winter party held in the Smith townhouse in Manhattan in
the 80’s, a cotton pastel sari - turquoise & cream flecked with gold while
others had jackets and coats. There was the time when sari based dresses worn
by Jackie pervaded America according to Tina Santi Flaherty. Flaherty wrote.
“Extremely feminine, this flattering garment is both demure and seductive at
the same time. Jackie decided that the style suited her.”
Jackie, in particular, disliked Nehru’s daughter, Indira,
who accompanied her father to Washington. Referring to a decision by JFK to
separate the men from the women during dinner, Jackie said of Indira:
"Well, of course, she hated that. She liked to be in with the men. And she
is a real prune -- bitter, kind of pushy, horrible woman. You know, I just
don't like her a bit. It always looks like she's been sucking a lemon.”
During the Indo China border war, JFK became popular in
India when he ordered the USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier to the Bay of Bengal
to help India in the event of an invasion by Chinese forces. He also apparently
had plans to deploy US forces stationed in the Philippines to assist India
should the war expand. Historians have suggested that China’s quick ceasefire
may have been the result of such threats made by the U.S. against Beijing. In a
May 1963 National Security Council meeting, contingency planning on the part of
the United States in the event of another Chinese attack on India was
discussed. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara and General Maxwell Taylor advised
the president to use nuclear weapons should the Americans intervene in such a
situation. McNamara stated "Before any substantial commitment to defend India
against China is given, we should recognize that in order to carry out that
commitment against any substantial Chinese attack, we would have to use nuclear
weapons. Any large Chinese Communist attack on any part of that area would
require the use of nuclear weapons by the U.S., and this is to be preferred
over the introduction of large numbers of U.S. soldiers." After hearing
this and listening to two other advisers, Kennedy stated "We should defend
India, and therefore we will defend India”.
When the Indian government hear that Jackie was going to
Pakistan later, they rescinded the offer to pay for the rooms occupied by the secret
service. The agents who had spent all their allowances on gifts were left in a
quandary and scrounged for the rest of the trip.
Jackie carried Cowhide Leather framed pictures from US. They
were replaced with Indian made silver frames when it was made clear that it was
not a good idea to make such a present, insulting the cow, a revered animal in India.
William Kuhn writing about Jackie notes that Lee found Nehru
sensual and that – The sexiest thing about Nehru was that he made Jackie laugh.
JKB was gifted two paintings in India. The painting ‘Lovers
watching rain clouds’ dated 1780 was willed by her to her friend Rachel Bunny
Melon. A second miniature ‘Gardens of the Palace of the Rajah’ was also gifted
to Bunny.
After JFK died, JKB became a book editor for Doubleday in
New York. In later days her protégé would prove to be an Indian, Naveen Patnaik.
They published a book ‘A second paradise’ on Indian artwork.
JKB visited India again in 1984, this time as Jackie Onassis.
John Kennedy her son, was in India studying Indian culture and history at the
Delhi University.
References
A life in our times – JK Galbraith
Ambassador’s journal – JK Galbraith
Indian summer – Alex Von Tunzelmann
Mrs Kennedy and me – Clint Hill
Pics – from the net thanks to the uploaders….
Various Videos of the
visit
