The declassified documents by the United States shows the details of these intended visits. Now that there is so much hype about the commemoration of Indo-Pak war of 1965 in which Shastri played a crucial role, it is interesting to look back and assess his role. Although the Americans were not sure how Shastri would handle the foreign affairs, Lyndon Johnson invited Shastri soon after he took over in June 1964 and the latter accepted it. While Shastri wanted this to happen in October 1966, Johnson first proposed the first week of June. Pakistan President Ayub Khan also was to visit the US around the same time. However, Lyndon Johnson all of a sudden decided to postpone both their visits. The US secretary of State Dean Rusk informing this to the US Ambassador in India Chester Bowles said that the President desired to do so in view of his pre occupation with the South West Asia as well as legislative agenda. Therefore he had decided to postpone the visits of Kenyatta, Ayub and Shastri. Johnson also wrote a polite letter to Shastri explaining “ In these circumstance the long term interests of our two countries, and our ability to pursue them jointly, would be better served in my judgment if you come in the fall after the Congress has adjourned. I have therefore reluctantly come to the conclusion the next month would not be the right time for us to exchange thoughts on our long range plans and aspirations. “

Strangely, Ambassador Bowles heard of this postponement when his aide handed over a bulletin from the Pakistan radio announcing it. When he called Washington immediately to ascertain the facts the answer came back from the White House,” This means what it says. The president is very tired and is over laden and he has too many obligations and can’t carry them out. “When Bowels met Shastri the same night he had a ‘horrible’ talk with the prime minister who was bitter and deeply hurt. Bowels say in his Oral History, had he been given enough time he would have handled the situation better. He could have told Shastri that since he wanted to come in October, he (Bowels) had advised the White House to change it to October. Shastri would have been pleased and the bitterness could have been avoided. But the news came from Pakistan even before Johnson’s letter reached Shastri.

The US proposed the visit for the second time after Bowels persuaded Shastri and his wife to make a visit. Bowles was keen that Shastri should visit Washington to clear the misunderstandings, if any. The Prime Minister told Bowles that he would like his visit to be planned before that of Ayub Khan pointing out sarcastically “I am sure that the State Department has no desire to see me.” The US ambassador attributed this to various reasons including that lingering bitterness of the earlier postponement. He obviously resented the US bracketing him with Ayub Khan. Bowles recommended to the White House that an earlier visit for Shastri was desirable. After the Indo-Pak ceasefire, from November 1965 preparations for the January ‘businesslike’ visit began. Washington appreciated Shastri’s mature way of handling the war. The US ambassador reporting to Washington said in a telegram, “At least it is clear we are not dealing with a mad man who is about fly off on an emotional tangent.”

The visit was planned from January 31 to February 5, 1966. When Bowels met Shastri before Christmas, he told him that he would finalize his talking points after his return from Tashkent and asked Bowels what the US expected from Tashkent summit. The Ambassador said, “We made it a point not to recommend any particular solution. Our concern was to get the air cleared so that both Pakistan and India could get on with the business of economic development.” However, Washington was keeping a close watch on Tashkent talks allowing the Soviets to mediate.

According to the programme for Shastri, he and his wife Lalitha Shastri were to reach New York on January 31 and leave for Williamsburg, an old Virginian city. The next day he was to have been received with all military honors and hold talks with Johnson. The next day he would address the National Press Club in Washington. In the evening he was to meet Johnson at the White House and a joint communiqué was prepared. Later he was to attend a dinner hosted by B.K.Nehru. The next day they were to reach New York and attend the Mayor’s lunch and attend a reception hosted by India’s UN representative G. Parthasarathy. On February 4, the Shastris were to do some sightseeing of New York and attend a reception hosted by U.N. Secretary General U Thant. He also would have received an honorary degree from the Columbia University, on February 5. They would have visited Florida and Alabama and return to New York to return to New Delhi.

Shastri was perhaps the one of the six Prime Ministers who did not go to the US during his term despite all the good signals he received from Washington. The others were Gulzari Lal Nanda, Charan Singh, V.P. Singh, Chandrasekhar, and Deve Gowda. Nanda, Charan Singh and Chandrasekhar had very brief tenure. (IPA Service)