ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the politics of the American decision to respond to the Indian appeal for emergency food assistance to meet the critical shortages of 1965–67. It examines the following questions. First, what was America’s basic approach to the critical food situation in India? Second, who were the actors involved in the decision to provide prompt relief to India? Third, how was the decision made and what were the basic considerations behind the decision? Finally, what were the salient features of the pattern of American response? The earliest instance of food assistance to India was in August, 1950, when an amount of $4.5 million was provided as a grant to buy American food grains to meet an acute food shortage. Unlike its relatively concrete economic or humanitarian accomplishments, the successful role of food aid programs in different foreign policy areas cannot be instantly demonstrated without certain qualifications.
