Kashmir Dispute: U.S. Ambassador in India to U.S. Secretary of State, May 18, 1948

501.BC Kashmir/5-1848 Airgram

The [US] Ambassador in India (Grady) to the [US] Secretary of State

CONFIDENTIAL - NEW DELHI, May 18,1948. [Received May 27.]

        A-222. Reference Embassy's despatch No. 524 dated May 18, 1948 entitled "Transmission of Text of GOI Message to Security Council Regarding Kashmir Resolution."

        Mr. V. P. Menon, Secretary of the Ministry of States, told an officer of the Embassy that the GOI was prepared to receive and cooperate with the United Nations Commission and that the Indian Government had great hopes that the Commission would be able to offer a constructive plan for the solution of the Kashmir problem.

        Mr. Menon said that the Government of India would be willing to accept a solution based upon the partition of the State. According to him the GOI would be willing to let the areas of Mirpur and Poonch go to Pakistan. In reply to a question he said that Gilgit could also go to Pakistan, which would make that Dominion responsible for the defence of this area of the world against Soviet aggression. He expressed his great fear of Soviet infiltration through Gilgit and expressed doubt that Pakistan would effectively prevent such infiltration. Mr. Menon said that the GOI would never suggest the partition of Kashmir as outlined above but would accept such a solution if it should be made by the United Nations Commission. He anticipates that if a solution is arrived at on the basis of partition no plebiscite would be held.

        In reply to a question, Mr. Menon admitted that it was true that there were some Communists in the Kashmir National Conference but that he was certain that their influence was not extensive.

        In the opinion of the Embassy, Mr. Menon's statement that the Government of India would accept a solution of the Kashmir problem based on partition is significant since in their past utterances both Pandit Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah have declared that they were unalterably opposed to partition. The Embassy believes-particularly since Mr. Menon emphasized that, if the solution of partition is adopted, no plebiscite will be held-the GOI is beginning to doubt that it would win a plebiscite of all the inhabitants of the State on the question of accession of the State to India or Pakistan.

        GRADY

From: US Department of State. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1948. Volume V, part 1. Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1975, 343.