(USA) Relations

(USA) Relations History Formal political relations with the USA began during World War II. The first exchange of envoys, Thomas Wilson and Sir Girija Shankar Bajpai, took place in ( which resulted in the establishment of a diplomatic office in Delhi. Thomas Wilson Sir Girija Shankar Bajpai Harry S Truman It was not until , under the presidency of Harry S Truman, that the full-fledged diplomatic relations emerged between India and the US. This was consolidated further after India became independent in . During the partition, Kashmir, acceded to India, which Pakistan contested. Pakistan claimed that this accession was done forcibly by India. This issue was taken up by the United Nations for discussion in , as a result of which, a U.N. Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) was set up. India was stated that this was a “completely wrong” move and strongly criticised USA and U.K for their role. Nehru’s first visit to the United States followed soon after the formation of the commission. South East Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO) Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) Devoid of personal rapport between the heads of the two states and mutual criticisms, the gap between India and USA further widened. Things did not improve with the formation of an American sponsored alliance system - SEATO (South East Asian Treaty Organization) and CENTO (Central Treaty Organization). Pakistan’s inclusion in the organisation and the resulting US- Pakistan military pact left little hope for any improvement in the bilateral relations. Although there were small periods of a better environment in the second term of Eisenhower and during Kennedy’s term, it was still a very long way from ‘all-weather friendly’ ties. The USA tried to interfere and influence India’s domestic (economic) programmes when India sought economic and technical assistance from her for industrialization. Under PL480, five agreements were signed between India and USA for supply of agricultural commodities to India in . Post-Cold War Relations Fifty years after India’s independence, emerging from the devastation of long colonisation, India became the largest democratic nation whose commitment to peace was undeterred