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V.V. Giri, and also a meeting with our U.S. Ambassador Keating.
He is the former Senator from New York. I am sorry that there
have recently been more or less strained relations between the
Governments of India and the United States. For that reason
protocol made it inadvisable for me to see Mrs. Gandhi, the
Indian Prime Minister, when I had had a talk with our American
Ambassador on the same visit.
However, at New Delhi we were entertained twice at the
home of the Executive Secretary to the President, Dr. Singh --
and there we met two or three maharajahs, and the Ambassadors from
Chile, Argentina, and Sudan, and we received invitations to visit
their countries in South America and Africa.
I have had to notice, on this trip around the world,
that relations between many governments are indeed becoming more
strained and tense.
I overlooked mentioning that, on meeting the Prime
Minister of Ceylon, I have now had meetings of some length with all
three of the women Prime Ministers in the world -- the other two
being Mrs. Indira Gandhi, and Mrs. Golda Meir of Israel (whom, by
the way, I may see again this week).
On this present trip, we left Pasadena Monday, March 6th,
flew out to Honolulu, stopped overnight, then Tuesday morning flew
(one stop for fuel at Wake Island) to Tokyo. We did not disembark,
but Dr. and Mrs. Ohama came aboard our aircraft and flew with us to
Seoul, Korea. Dr. Ohama is the leading educator of Japan, and
perhaps the leading nonofficial adviser to the Government. He has
visited both our Pasadena and Texas campuses, and addressed the
student bodies.
I had never been to Korea before. Dr. Ohama and I had
expected to have a meeting with the President of Korea, but, as
frequently happens with Heads of State, emergency matters came up
that prevented. However, I did have a very fine meeting with the
Minister of Education and his two Chief Aides.
Then back to Tokyo, where events for us were real
exciting.
We flew back to Tokyo on Friday. Had dinner Saturday
night with the new Ambassador, from Israel, and his wife. Had tea
with them at their Embassy Sunday afternoon. Had tea with the
Emperor's brother, Prince Mikasa, on Monday afternoon at his
palace. On Monday night we were guests of two of the most
influential members of the Diet (the Japanese governing body --
Congress-Parliament), both of whom had accompanied Prime Minister
Sato on his trip to San Clemente (the Western White House in
California) for the meeting with President Nixon.
On that visit Mr. Sato had asked to see me, just before
his meeting with Mr. Nixon, but I was ill with a high fever at the
time, and so Messrs. Rader and Gotoh represented me in a meeting
with the Japanese Prime Minister. Mr. Sato then had asked if we
would fly these two high ranking Congressmen, and eight Japanese