With Chinese troops within shouting distance, time to destroy sensitive papers.

 

NBC Radio – India-China War – November 1962

The one event that managed to dislodge reports regarding the Cuban Missile Crisis in November of 1962 was the outbreak of hostilities between India and China. Long a hotbed of disputes, the crisis reached boiling point late in October when China attacked Indian positions and overran them, advancing several miles inside Indian territory.

The rapid escalation of hostilities caught many by surprise and India was forced to be in a position of having to solicit aid from Russia, Britain and the U.S. By the time this broadcast aired however, a tentative ceasefire proposal had been offered and both sides were considering it. By the 22nd, fighting had stopped, but the damage had already been done.

Pakistan had shown increased irritation over the American and British arms buildup of the Indian army requested by the New Delhi government to fight the Chinese Communist border invasion. The Pakistanis were worried lest the arms eventually be turned against Pakistan by India the long-festering Kashmir dispute. In the eyes of Pakistanis, the India-China undeclared war a temporary conflict that would soon blow over, while Indian-Pakistan rivalry would remain for a long time. President Ayub Khan warned the United States Wednesday that Pakistan would quit the CENTO and SEATO alliances if it found these pacts were “of no use.” Addressing the National Assembly, he said that any supply of arms to India was -a great danger to Pakistan’s safety and sovereignty, Similar sentiments were expressed by Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali to the assembly yesterday. The United States and Britain had been behind the scenes for Indian-Pakistani working, standstill pact over Kashmir to help India beat back the Chinese invasion.

Here is that background report on fighting between India and China from November 20th 1962.