ABSTRACT
Sir Morrice James proved an exceptionally able British High Commissioner in the period 1961–1965. Like other British diplomats, he held senior posts both in Pakistan and India. The chapter reveals that this background helped shape his handling of the crisis arising from the 1965 War between Pakistan and India. It uses fresh source material to shed light on the plans to evacuate Britons at the time of the conflict. In addition to his personal ties with the Indian and Pakistani elites, James worked closely with American counterparts. The first part of his period in office was taken up with the ultimately fruitless Anglo-American diplomacy to resolve the Kashmir conflict. This was prompted by the changed political environment arising from the 1962 Sino-Indian border war. The conflict also accelerated the growth of ties between Pakistan and China. Sir Morrice James’s time as head of mission coincided with the shifting of the diplomatic mission from Karachi to a temporary base in Rawalpindi/Islamabad. The move which caused him numerous headaches, reflected the continuing dominance of the military in Pakistan’s public life, as it relocated the national capital from the commercial centre of Karachi to the army’s heartland of north-west Punjab.
