793B.00/8–2550: Telegram
The Ambassador in India (Henderson) to the Secretary of State
479. 1. During my talk August 24 with Bajpai, SYG MEA, he told me telegram had been received from Panikkar Indian Ambassador Peking re Tibet. He had received reply from Peking Foreign Office to his representations made several days previously re Tibet.
2. According to Panikkar Peking’s reply was to effect that it must maintain its sovereignty over Tibet; that it did not however wish to have armed conflict; that it therefore had instructed its Ambassador to India to enter into tentative conversations with Tibetan representatives shortly after his arrival in Delhi with understanding final conversations would take place Peking.
3. Bajpai said he was convinced from tenor Panikkar’s telegram that Peking did not contemplate at least in immediate future dispatch armed forces into Tibet. He was, however, not too optimistic re future Tibet. He personally thought Peking would insist upon setting up Communist regime in Lhasa which working with Peking would gradually make Tibet integral part China. There was little India could do assist Tibet. He did not know what attitude Tibetan representatives would take. They might well as result preliminary conversations decide it would be useless go to Peking and then fat would be in fire.