CHINA: Welcome for Jawaharlal

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Nehru dutifully paid the traveler's routine tributes to Red China (no beggars, and "the Chinese have abolished prostitutes also"), but it was obvious that Red China's belligerency offended him. "Any attempt to impose the will of one nation upon another must endanger peace," Nehru pointedly remarked one evening at dinner. "I earnestly hope the people of China will cooperate." And when Chou suggested that Red China should attend Nehru's projected conference of Asian and African neutrals, Nehru silkily referred Chou to the sponsoring "Colombo Powers," for "it is not I who will be sending out invitations."

Cocky Misunderstanding. To the little group of Indian newsmen accompanying him, Nehru said: "The purpose of these talks is to remove dislike, suspicion and fear of each other . . . The Chinese response is good." One newsman asked: "Is the purpose to make China acceptable to the rest of the world?" Nehru replied: "To make the rest of the world acceptable to China." Whatever platitudinous pledges of esteem might be agreed to at the end of the visit, the fact was (according to word sifting back to New Delhi) that Nehru was shocked by Red China's cocky misunderstanding of the outside world, and afraid that Red China's distorted picture might lead Asia to disaster. And as for Red China's proposed Asian bloc, Nehru was "not very enthusiastic."

By week's end some of India's usually neutralist newspapers were drawing an editorial conclusion they would have damned as U.S. propaganda not seven days before. "There is no prospect," said the Hindustan Times, "of India, Burma and Indonesia wanting to swing over to China." And the influential Times of India seemed to be writing an epitaph over Nehru's dream of a protected Area of Peace when it acknowledged that "it would be something unusual for Communist China to reject the traditional Communist pattern of expansion."