 It's time for the Laun Jean Chronoscope a television journal of the important issues of the hour a presentation of the Laun Jean Wittner watch company maker of Laun Jean the world's most honored watch and Wittner distinguished companion to the world honored Laun Jean Good evening. This is Frank Knight. May I introduce our co-editors for this edition of the Laun Jean Chronoscope? Larry Lesser CBS News Correspondent and Thomas J. Halton chief United Nations correspondent for the New York Times Our distinguished guest for this evening is Krishna Mennon chairman of the Indian delegation to the United Nations You know, it's almost an unwritten law that unless a diplomat represents one of the big four powers He cannot achieve a position of world influence and significance But our guest tonight has proved the exception to the rule when mr. Krishna Mennon speaks the world now listens Mr. Mennon to be fair to you Frank you have disagreed with our foreign policy rather often publicly and some people do say that you are Unfriendly to this country is that true? We have disagreed and I say I have disagreed I have expressed the opinions of my country and my government on specific matters that come up for discussion And I should have thought and I do think that the American people will be the first to recognize That honest opinions properly expressed courtesy and Canada our science of friendship I Have the good fortune to have large numbers of Americans as friends I know you do Mr. And you think that our country in its foreign policy has ever been Unfriendly or unjust to to your country. We have never questioned the motives of this country and we don't know country should or does in fact Sit down and write a dissertation on another country's foreign policy When any particular act of yours has any impact on someone else that someone else says something And that's all there is to it. I think there is a lot of exaggeration or misstatement about difficulties or relationships between India and the United States on the other hand with I think we are two friendly countries The honest difference opinion on certain matters the great deal of agreement on others How do you feel about the latest matter that's come before the assembly of mr. That's the affair of the 11 American aviators who are still held prisoners by the Chinese coming Yeah, I'm surprised that a very accurate reporter Column writer like this Thomas Thomas Hamilton should think that's come before the assembly. It hasn't come yet And it comes you deal with it well since India did perform vital services in the Korean War as medical troops and also very vital services after the war in Securing and helping secure the release of the prisoners of war mr. Menon How do you regard the fact that the Chinese are holding a belligerence from that war and apparent defiance of the armistice terms? We don't know we don't know the facts of this matter in any way apart from what is matters of public knowledge We so far I'm aware. We have not been asked by anybody To intervene in this matter or take an interest in it. We have naturally as one in every country and every human being must have an Interest in a problem where there are prisoners detained in another country now you ask me about the commission the commissioners these to exist and Our interests our responsibilities in that matter are the same as everybody else's except of course that we want to see Any point of conflict between countries removed whether it's with us or anybody else Yes, and this might possibly be a point of a rather deep conflict between The Communist China and the United States well mr. Menon if I may say so you have avoided in the past Your country has criticism of red China and Some people do feel that since you're not with us therefore you must be against us Is this a correct assessment of your position? No, we are not against anybody as I said that we have very very good relations with this country And we do not regard good relations with you as exclusive or good relations with others And that's perhaps it's not quite well understood. There is no reason why good relations with one country should exclude good relations another Unless you're partisans, and we are not partisans Mr. Menon, I think it's only fair to say that People have the feeling that the so-called neutrality of Asia and India actually means that These countries are sitting on a fence waiting to join the camp of which of either side Which proves to be the strongest protector now and therefore we think that every inch we sacrifice to communism or surrender to communism is actually Influencing your future decision now is this true? I Don't know who thinks so we don't and we never call ours as neutral In fact the term neutrality has significance only in conditions of war What we are how we have we are an independent sovereign nation entitled to make its decisions on every issue As as we think best in our interests and the interests of other people What we may not do is to question other people's motives of people whom we have no Recent to question it or Introduce any bitterness or anger into controversy We must keep our differences honest And within the limits of necessity, and that's what we try to do. You may fail, but that's what we try to do I want a specific point Mr. Christian a minute. You are quite active at the Geneva conference and I think trying to Pass on the points of view of the different sides delegates so on Looking back on the on the Geneva conference in particularly the Settlement of end of China. Do you think it was a good settlement? I think so I think it was a not only the real question is not Whether it was a good settlement I think it was a good settlement, but the settlement itself was a good thing to achieve We have for the first time a situation where there is no major war going on The Indochina is business as you know is in its origin a colonial Issue and it now enables the peoples of Indochina to establish governments and I have no doubt at all that will settle down Provided the terms of settlement are carried out and I have no reason to think they wouldn't be carried out Do you have any reason for it for concern over the possibility that the Chinese communists might use of Infiltration against the governments of Laos and Cambodia in southern Vietnam. I Have no evidence of it. There are communists no doubt in all these in all these areas Indigenous inhabitants of communists, but I have no reason to think that there will be any infiltration from outside And the honest disagreement provides for the supervision And they're being carried out Well, your government is not a party to the Southeast Asia Pact Could you give me your feelings as to whether the Southeast Asia Pact will help stabilize the situation in Southeast Asia? We do not think so if you thought it would help to stabilize the situation Southeast Asia You would have accepted the invitation to join it well Mr. Krishnamenanda if Mr. Nehru's plans come to fruition Do you envisage a world in which there are really three worlds if we may put it that way a So-called Western world a communist world and a so-called neutral world with view as sort of a buffer. I hope not I think there's a very wrong way of looking at it This is what is usually called the third block or third force theories But we're we do not believe that this division of the world into camps this kind is a good thing For stability and peace and the fortunes of all of us if we think that and we therefore do not like two blocks How would we help by forming a third block rule only add to the confusion? Well, in other words, you think there should be one world just one block No, I think that in the present state of our civilization there should be independent sovereign nations Respecting each other living and letting live tolerating each other and and and trying to resolve such differences there are and would be by negotiation argument and Then they won't come into as major differences. But isn't it true, Mr. Mannon? It's sadly enough The dynamics of the world prove that very often nations which Ask for the respect of other nations are gobbled up by aggressors And so people do form blocks for protection. Now first of all, Mr. Nehru There is a limit to the usefulness of the past because if your argument were true Then you would have to agree that all history has been written. We are the architects of history. We make it Therefore we can't say it has been so therefore it will be so Mr. Krishnamen and I've heard it said that since India's constitution I understand is very much like the constitution in the United States that certain conclusions might be drawn about India's Newly won independence from the independence of the United States in its early years. Do you see any? counterpart in our early history and your present state of development To put our history right When the Indian constitution was made It drew on the experience of practically all countries that have constitutions But our constitution is fundamentally different from the Constitution of the United States Because we have a parliamentary system of government. It is more like the Anglo-Saxon and the British system of government Were we even executive that's responsible to legislature and is part of that legislature? It is true that there are certain parts of it. For example, the chapter on fundamental rights Is perhaps has a as a relation to proximity to your bill of rights your your your your cause on rights but The rest of it is Is made up of the experience of various countries and our own role. We also had a Constitution though not a perfect Parliament and The desires and the genius of our people Mr. Krishnamen and I must say that some people here wonder why India seems so severe to its own indigenous communists and relatively so polite to Four or international communists why is that so well you get that picture because you have certain Premises your certain assumptions. What we do is we try to run a country on on the basis of the rule of law and Those who break the law come under the rigors of the law That is to say it goes beyond a certain limit. We have no objection our country for anybody holding any opinion You know objection to the forming political parties, you know objection from any political party standing for Parliament but if that party tries to practice violence Breaks the law then it comes under the under the rigors of the law We have a parliamentary opposition, which is very different from that of the governing party And I suppose that would hold true an international We're all too anyone who breaks the law you would well so far as we're concerned. We do not want anybody to interfere in our country and Respective of what their what their private political thinking is and Any interference or encroachment upon our liberties would meet with our hostility. How far we can resist it depends upon our strength But the real issue is further interference with us You will thank you very much. Mr. Christian man has been a great pleasure to have here tonight. Thank you The opinions expressed on the long gene chronoscope were those of the speakers The editorial board for this edition of the long gene chronoscope was Larry Lassur and Thomas J. 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