Russian rubbish? India reportedly disappointed with stealth fighters from Moscow

“If they get a chance to really look at the F35, they would want it," Laird said. "The Indians have requested 3 times to talk to people about the F-35B, which is the true revolutionary aircraft -- and the administration never answered the mail, they've blown them off, it's typical of the Obama administration. We love our allies except if you want anything."

If I remember right, Daniel Patrick Moynihan claimed to have actually seen the boxes. He recognized them as being U.S. provided but they had painted over then re-stenciled the Russian name on them.

That is just plain despicable.

I tried to Google a little about this, since it did indeed sound despicable and also stupid - there have to be easier ways to make your people believe that the Soviets are helping them than hand-painting hundreds of thousands of containers in some language they don't understand.

I found that Nixon cut off assistance to India in 1971, and it was never resumed, by India's request. Moynihan was US ambassador to India from 1973-1975, and indeed there was a threat of severe famine in India in 1973 due to drought and a massive influx of refugees from Bangladesh. India received food aid from the US through private organizations like CARE, but it purchased wheat from the US government. Google has some excerpts from Moynihan's letters:

"The starving time appears to be at hand. The words begin to appear in the press....Kissinger has been extraordinary in getting me what I asked. A cable last night reported that after talking with Butz it was evident that the Indians could buy three to four million tons of grain if they moved immediately...I make clear that we are not giving them anything, merely offering to help them buy with hard cash at inflated prices."

This does not mean that India couldn't have stenciled 'USSR' on packages labeled 'CARE', or whatever containers the purchased wheat came in, of course - but I wasn't able to find anything indicating this. What I did find is that Moynihan's published letters make for interesting reading about the US and the world during that time - I'll be buying a copy.

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