Key Points
In the preparatory meeting, then US President Richard Nixon, his assistant for national security affairs Henry Kissinger and the Presidents assistant H.R. Haldeman were present..
Only then did the media run headlines such as Kissinger Sorry for Deriding Mrs Gandhi (Guardian), Kissinger Regrets 1971 Remarks on India (New York Times), Kissinger Apologizes for 71 Remarks About I..
Hence, for these publications, the big news was about Kissinger apologizing and not the foul and filthy language used by the then US president and his aides..
In the story, while apologizing for the foul language, Kissinger seemed to be rationalizing its use and said that it had to be seen in the context of the Cold War politics, with India being a Soviet ally..
This excerpt from Western Media Narratives on India: From Gandhi to Modi by Umesh Upadhyay has been published with permission from Rupa Publications..
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