From Truman's remark to now, it has been a long journey. India and the United States, which share common values and should have been friends, found themselves caught in a cycle of resentment and mistrust for the first few decades following Indian independence. In A Matter of Trust, Meenakshi Ahamed reveals the personal prejudices and insecurities of the leaders, and the political imperatives, that so often cast a shadow over their relationship.
The cycle began with India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who viewed Americans as naive and insular, but it was under Indira Gandhi that India entered the darkest phase of its relations with the United States. President Truman decided Nehru was a communist, and the White House tapes reveal Nixon's hatred towards Mrs. Gandhi and Indians. It was only after India undertook major economic reforms in the 1990s that the relationship improved. The transformation occurred when President George W. Bush signed the historic nuclear deal in 2008 with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Ahamed draws on a unique trove of presidential papers, newly declassified documents, memoirs, and interviews with officials directly involved in events on both sides to put together this illuminating account of their relationship that has far-reaching implications for the changing global political landscape.
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