He was invited for dinner at the White House, spoke at the UN General Assembly, and interacted with the diaspora… This was Prime Minister Nehru in 1961.
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00:00The two world leaders and the two first ladies will continue to become better acquaintances.
00:05There is no neutralist bloc. Secondly, I'm not the leader of anybody.
00:13On November 6, 1961, Newport is the first meeting place in America of Prime Minister Jawaharlal
00:19Nehru and President John F. Kennedy. The Prime Minister's daughter, Mrs. Indira Gandhi,
00:26is warmly welcomed by President Kennedy, and Ambassador to India John Galbraith greets a
00:32familiar friend. A group of Indian students from nearby Brown University welcomes the
00:38distinguished visitors. Mr. President, Mrs. Kennedy, I feel deeply honored and happy
00:51to be here again and to receive this great welcome from you.
01:01More particularly, not for the formal side of it, but for the friendship which animated
01:09your words. You have been good enough in the past also to refer to my country
01:18in terms which evoked a warm response in our hearts.
01:22I'm grateful to you, sir, for your warm welcome and to Mrs. Kennedy also.
01:35Later that evening, the Prime Minister and his daughter arrive at the White House to be greeted
01:39by President and Mrs. Kennedy, who have arranged an intimate and informal dinner,
01:45during which the two world leaders and the two first ladies will continue to become better
01:50acquainted. Several hours later, the President and Prime Minister emerge to tell the press that
02:06the free and very frank discussions had progressed well and covered a wide range of topics from the
02:12protection of free and independent states to the control of nuclear testing. The nearby
02:17District of Columbia Children's Hospital is host to Mrs. Indira Gandhi. She meets young Jane
02:25Franzella, a polio victim who is being given treatment in the modern whirlpool tank. This
02:31visit is a very special occasion for Jane, who has created a picture of a Japanese woman to give to
02:38the distinguished visitor. The gift is warmly admired and appreciated to the joy and delight of
02:47young Jane. On the next day of the Prime Minister's visit, Mr. Nero is guest of the National Press
02:54Club, where several hundred correspondents of the national and world press have gathered
02:59to greet and listen to one of the world's most newsworthy figures.
03:03First question, as the acknowledged leader of the neutralist bloc of nations,
03:07what is your opinion of the continued nuclear blasting by the USSR?
03:12Well, the answer is there is no neutralist bloc. Secondly, I'm not the leader of anybody.
03:18If you like, my people have done me the honor of putting me in a very responsible position in India,
03:24so I can claim to speak on behalf of India. As for the resumption of nuclear tests by the Soviet
03:30Union, I have often stated that I have thought it a very harmful, disastrous thing.
04:31Now, of course, I think it's a good thing, but I also think it's a good thing, too,
04:37because, you know, it's a very good thing. But, you know, I don't think it's a good thing,
04:43but I think it's a very good thing, because, you know, I think it's a very good thing.