BULGANIN-KHRUSHCHEV TOUR OF SOUTH ASIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79R00890A000600060079-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 12, 2003
• Sequence Number: 79
• Publication Date: November 29, 1955
• Content Type: BRIEF

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NSC BRIEFING 29 NOVEMBER 1955 PP_
BULGANIN-KHRUSHCHEV TOUR
OF SOUTH ASIA
11
-49---has spared no effort
I. Khrushchev-
in door-to-door campaign to sell Russian friendship to the
Indian people.
A. Khrushchev has told them: "You want to build power
stations? If you have not sufficient experience in this
matter and if you want technical a.id -come to us and we
will help you. Do you want to send your engineering
students to study in our country? Please send them."
B. Bulganin--Khrushchev's senior traveling-mate--has public-
ly offered to sha.re with India.. the USSR's experience in
"the construction of industrial enterprises, electric
power stations, hydro projects, and. the utilization of
atomic energy for peaceful purposes."
II. Since they arrived in India. on 18 Nov, B and K have clocked
3,000 miles by air, auto and elephant, visited 11 points--a.n
intensive tour which has reduced them to near-exhaustion.
A. They have taken a,dva.nta.ge of every official and informal
opportunity to put across these ideas:
1. USSR made tremendous a.nd. rapid strides in economic de-
velopment with Western help and in the fa.ce of capital-
ist hostility--India, can do it that way too.
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2. The colonial powers responsible for the long suppres-
sion of Asia are the same as those who now stand in
the way of peace by forming military blocs and oper-
ating from a "position of strength," and therefore
they are a, common enemy to India. and the USSR.
3. Soviet possession of nuclear weapons is the major
deterrent to a.ggressive action by the U.S. leading
to another world war.
4. India's and. Russia.'s interests coincide on several
specific and major points such as Communist China's
"rightful" place. in the world community, opposition
to SEATO, opposition to such vestiges of colonialism
as Goa, and support for the Nehru-Chou "five principles."
B. Indian popular reaction to these blandishments ha.s been
mixture of:
1. Applause for Soviet offers of economic and. technical.
assistance.
2. Irritation over Russian discourtesy in using India. as
rostrum for uninhibited a.ttacks against western powers.
Indian government has apparently finally followed some
elements of Indian press in reacting unfa.vora,bly to B-K
use of visit for criticism of Western countries and. in-
vidious contrasts of peacefulness of USSR with warmonger-
ing of West.
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1. On 29 Nov, Nehru in public speech said guardedly that
making comparisons between one country and another was
not good and that, in any case, the comparison should
not be made on the basis of enmity. Even in the
a.tomic age, Nehru continued, the challenge and. menace
of the atom bomb cannot be met by a.nother a.tom bomb,
2. On the same day, the Hindustan Times (semi-official
mouthpiece of the GOI and. the Congress Party) put the
case more bluntly by suggesting. that USSR should.
destroy all stocks of atomic weapons a.s testimony to
her professed. wish for peace. The Times stated "Even
bomb tests are not without dire peril to the world,"
and continued "Official circles in Britain and American
had misrea.d the positions in suggesting that the
India.ns have surrendered their political thinking and
that the welcome accorded to the Soviet leaders is the
measure of their endorsement of Communist ideology.
On the contrary, the visit of Soviet leaders to foreign
countries may also have its effects on Soviet thinking,
which has hitherto been conditioned by narrow
isola.tionism."
III. B and K have brought high-level staff with them for the grand
tour--qualified to discuss political, tra.d.e and cultural re-
lations with authority.
L)IAL
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A. While B and K sight-seeing in India., serious talks going
on at New Delhi between Secretary General of Indian Min-
istry of External Affairs and senior Soviet officials of
the pa.rty--First Deputy Foreign Minister Gromyko and
Deputy Foreign Trade Minister Kumykin.
B. B a.nd K a.re scheduled to return to New Delhi after Burma.
visit,(starting 1 Dec), follow-up on these discussions.
IV. Burma also will go all-out to give Khrushchev and Bulganin a.
lavish reception:
A. Extensive up-country trips planned, parts of which will
be undertaken overland in a,rea.s infested by both Commie
and non-Commie insurgents,
B. Bulganin to be given title Thudha.mma. (Defender of the
Faith), highest honor Burma ca,n bestow.
C. Burmese should be receptive to sort of pitch Soviet
lea.d'rs used in India.
Alrea,d.y grateful to Orbit for taking large quantities
surplus rice; impressed by ostensible lack of strings
a.tta,ched to Soviet offers of economic aid.
2. Burmese likely accept any Soviet offers technical
assistance, (Moscow already scheduled to send an
agricultural team to program diversification Burma.'s
agriculture).
D. Burmese will tend a.ccept Soviet professions of peaceful
intent at fa.cR-value.
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E. In this connection, indications are that insurgent Burma
Communist Party may soon emerge from underground, posELbly
while the Soviet leaders are in Burma..
1. Negotiations between the BCP and high government offi-
cia.is now in progress.
2. The BCP's emergence would remove an aberration from
the current Asian Communist emphasis on "peaceful
methods."
3, Communist "surrender" would be widely regarded as
return of prodigal sons.
V. B and K will wind up grand tour with stop-off in Afghanistan,
probably about 15 Dec, at time when Afghan receptivity to
Soviet glad-hand ha.s never been greater.
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