For a hundred years, British and Chinese territorial claims in the
Himalayas conflicted, with Indian historians claiming that the region
was the fountainhead of Hindu civilization. In the halcyon days of the
Raj, London saw Afghanistan and Tibet as buffers against Russian and
Chinese imperialism. In 1913, an ephemeral agreement between Britain,
Tibet and China was signed, recognizing the McMahon Line as the border
of the disputed territory. China, however, failed to ratify the
agreement, while India protested against a loss of historical land.
After the Second World War, India became independent of Britain and
Chinese Communists proclaimed a people's republic. Despite cordial
overtures from Indian Prime Minister Nehru, in late 1950 the Chinese
People's Liberation Army (PLA) invaded Tibet. In the ensuing twelve
years, Indian diplomacy and Chinese 'cartographic aggression' were
punctuated by border incidents, particularly in 1953 when armed clashes
precipitated a significant increase in the disposition of troops by both
sides. In the spring of 1962, Indian forces flooded into the Ladakh
region of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, to check the Chinese.
In a spiralling game of brinkmanship, in September, ground forces were
strategically deployed and redeployed. On 10 October, thirty-three
Chinese died in a firefight near Dhola.
Embittered by Moscow's support of India against a sister communist
state, and in a bid to clip Nehru's belligerent wings, on 20 October,
the PLA launched a two-pronged attack against Indian positions.
