dated June 16, 1951: Tribute to Nehru

Mr. David E. Lilienthal, former Chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, described Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru as ``democracy's best hope against a major reversal for democracy in Asia.'' His talks with Mr. Nehru had led him to regard the Indian leader as not one man, but two - one living deep in the past and the other living in the future.

Mr. Lilienthal who visited India in 1950, said Mr. Nehru told him that India and China were closely tied since long back and were once again drawn close by memories of domination by outside powers.

Mr. Lilienthal commended the vast projects for modernisation of India which Mr. Nehru had undertaken. But, he added, sometimes, Mr. Nehru was looking backward preoccupied with past injuries at the hands of ``white'' imperialism and viewing ``with fear and excessive sensitiveness the motives of America and all outsiders.'' Mr. Nehru was not a Communist but believed it was ``best to deal with the Communist Chinese regime apparently on the ground it is the regime that now in fact rules China.''

Ensuring world peace

Mr. K.P.S. Menon, Secretary, Ministry for External Affairs, said in a lecture in The Hague that recognition of Communist China was essential for peace.

Mr. Menon, formerly Indian Ambassador to China, and the first Chairman of the United Nations Commission in Korea, said one conclusion which emerged ``from the varying fortunes of the Korean war and the conflicting testimony of military commanders in Washington,'' was that there was not much hope of decisive military decision in Korea in the near future.

The alternative was to resort to old-fashioned methods of negotiations. In any such negotiations, Mr. Menon said, the emergence of New China, and its significance had to be recognised.

Resistance by Communists

Communist forces in Central Korea stubbornly resisted Allied pressure and striking back at the U.N. forces trying to continue their advance, the Eighth Army said in Tokyo, on June 15.

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