(This is part two of a four-part 'May' series that revisits significant historical events or policies and how the lessons learned from them continue to be of relevance in present-day politics and society. Read part one here, part three here, and part four here.)
“Dear Mr President,
You would already be aware of the underground nuclear tests carried out in India. In this letter, I would like to explain the rationale for the tests.
I have been deeply concerned about the deteriorating security environment, especially the nuclear environment, faced by India for some years past. We have an overt nuclear weapon state on our borders, a state which committed armed aggression against India in 1962. Although our relations with that country have improved in the last decade or so, an atmosphere of distrust persists mainly due to the unresolved border problem. To add to the distrust that country has materially helped another neighbour of ours to become a covert nuclear weapons state….
Yours Sincerely,
AB VAJPAYEE.”
Apart from the outrage in developed countries at the temerity of India to go overtly nuclear and subsequent sanctions, the letter from Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to American President Bill Clinton (leaked by his administration) caused quite a stir in global geopolitical circles.