I believe there are times when a nation has no alternative but to use military force. This was surely the case 30 years ago after the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor. I believe the Israelis were fully justified in using force in 1967 and I believe the same is probably true of India in Those of us who would pass judgment on India should reflect on what we would have done If confronted with the overwhelming problem of 6 to 9 million refugees on our soil without the capacity to care for them and with no foreseeable prospect of getting them to return to their homes. The Pakistanis apparently attacked first with their aircraft and gave the Indians the excuse that they were doubtless looking for. But the question of who started shooting first is really not a basic one in this case. any more than it was in the.ArabIsraeli war of 1967. The cause of the fighting is more basic. I am hopeful that the military actions taken by the Indian Government will soon result in control of East Bengal by a new. independent state known as Bangladesh. followed by an end to the fighting. This will enable the refugees in India to return to their homes. I trust that the world community. including the United States. will be willing to assist in the gigantic task of restoring this part of the world to some semblance of order and hope for the future. For several months.
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refugees