"The Chinese Government has tried to delude us by professions of peaceful intention...even though we regard ourselves as the friends of China, the Chinese do not regard us as their friends." - India's Sardar Patel, one month before his death in 1950.

"The tragedy of it is that the Tibetans put faith in us; they chose to be guided by us; and we have been unable to get them out of the meshes of Chinese diplomacy or Chinese malevolence."

"We have done everything we could to assuage Chinese feelings, to allay its apprehensions and to defend its legitimate claims in our discussions and correspondence with America and Britain and in the UN. Inspite of this, China is not convinced about our disinterestedness"

"it continues to regard us with suspicion and the whole psychology is one, at least outwardly, of scepticism perhaps mixed with a little hostility. I doubt if we can go any further than we have done already to convince China of our good intentions, friendliness and goodwill."

"Their last telegram to us is an act of gross discourtesy not only in the summary way it disposes of our protest against the entry of Chinese forces into Tibet but also in the wild insinuation that our attitude is determined by foreign influences."

"It looks as though it is not a friend speaking in that language but a potential enemy."

"The undefined state of the frontier and the existence on our side of a population with its affinities to the Tibetans or Chinese have all the elements of the potential trouble"

"Recent and bitter history also tells us that Communism is no shield against imperialism and that the communists are as good or as bad imperialists as any other."

"While our western and north-western threat to security is still as prominent as before, a new threat has developed from the north and north-east. Thus, for the first time, after centuries, India's defence has to concentrate itself on two fronts simultaneously."

"Our defence measures have so far been based on the calculations of superiority over Pakistan. In our calculations we shall now have to reckon with...a communist China which has definite ambitions and aims and which does not, in any way, seem friendly disposed towards us."