Why the Peace Corps Left India by John Chromy
Monday, January 21, 2013 at 03:26PM In response to a recent inquiry on our Facebook Page as to circumstances surrounding the end of the Peace Corps program in India, John Chromy (India III) wrote this piece. We thought others might be interested as well.
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Peace Corps was phased out of India in September of 1976 when the last Volunteer completed his service in a poultry development project in the state of Punjab. The phase out was at least partly rooted in the Pakistani-Bangladesh war of 1971. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger met with Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and urged her that India "not interfere" in the Pakistani civil war. He also shared that if India did interfere, then the likely result would be that all US AID Assistance to India would be suspended.
Mrs. Gandhi ignored this warning and India did directly assist the breakaway East Pakistani state (Bangladesh) to secede from Pakistan. All US assistance to India was then suspended. In the case of Peace Corps, the suspension did not pull the Volunteers out of the field but allowed for them to complete their two years of service which carried some of them into early 1973. Notice the term used is "suspended" The formal agreement between the U.S. Government and the Government of India (GOI) was never canceled.
In 1972 and 73 the Peace Corps dialogued with the Secretary of State's office and Peace Corps was allowed to continue to discuss with the GOI the possible placement of additional Volunteers, but the authority appeared to be moot because the Foreign Ministry of GOI informally took the position of "not requesting any additional volunteers" (All Peace Corps assignments around the world require a formal request from the Host Country Government). However, several of the State Governments within India (particularly Punjab and Kerala) kept requesting the National Government for a several hundred additional Peace Corps Volunteers to continue the Animal Husbandry, Education and Forestry programs already operating.
The GOI National Government finally responded to the State Government requests by forwarding them without formal endorsement but also without objection to U.S. Embassy and Peace Corps. This allowed the Peace Corps to place additional Volunteers in late 1972 and mid-73. However, the GOI did provide written notice that it was reviewing the roles of foreign Volunteers in India (Britain, Japan, Norway and Australia also had their versions of the Peace Corps operating in India at the time) and that henceforth all foreign Volunteer programs were limited to a maximum of 50 Volunteers.
This limitation to 50 Volunteers then caused the Peace Corps to re-consider whether to continue to operate in India. The potential impact of 50 Volunteers in a country of then more than 500 million was questioned vis-a-vis "could they have more impact in smaller countries of Africa and elsewhere?” Also the administrative cost to maintain a Peace Corps office, country director and the administrative/medical support capacity in New Delhi was quite high.
All this and in light of less Peace Corps funding from Congress and increased inflation cost around the world, led Peace Corps to make a decision to discontinue its program in India after the 1973 Volunteers completed their service. About a half dozen of the 1973 Peace Corps Volunteers extended their service beyond two years in order to complete projects, with the last Volunteer leaving New Delhi in September of 1976 (I know this because I was in the Peace Corps Director's office on the day the US Embassy cable from the American Ambassador arrived notifying that the last Peace Corps Volunteer had that day completed his assignment on India) The Peace Corps "agreement" between the GOI and the US Government was never canceled, it simply went into dormancy with neither government wanting to formalize a decision to cancel the agreement.
In the subsequent 35 years, several Peace Corps Directors and at least two US Ambassadors to India have sought to revive the Peace Corps in India. They have been met with little interest in the Foreign Ministry of the GOI, particularly as India in the past decade has moved rapidly into a modern economy and sees itself not as a recipient of aid assistance but in fact a donor of assistance to other countries much poorer then India. My understanding is that at this time there are no negotiations or even explorations of a possible return of Peace Corps to India taking place. The Peace Corps has at least 18 other countries when have requested Peace Corps Volunteers to whom they have not been able to respond for lack of funds in their appropriations from Congress. Therefore, returning to India appears not to be a priority at Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington DC.
John Chromy
India III (1963-65)
Associate Peace Corps Director, India 1967-69
Special Assistant to the Director of Peace corps 1976
Peace Corps Director, Eastern Caribbean 1977-79
Associate Director for Volunteers, Peace Corps, Washington DC 1980-81
Reader Comments (2)
Perhaps some knowledgeable person can confirm or deny whether, in addition to the events and disagreements associated with the war partitioning Bangladesh and West Pakistan,I had understood that the donation of US grain during the shortages and rationing of the early 1960'a had transitioned to face saving "purchases" such that the US would use the Rupees "paid" for the food aid to fund USAID projects in India and India Peace Corps volunteers (at one time India had more PCV's than any other country). I understand that before the Green Revolution the amount of grain purchased lead to the US having 62% of the Ruppees in circulation under its control. A break was required to reset the relationship.
This India Express article adds additional aspects that may be relevant to consider.
http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/swallowing-the-humiliation/645168/
John Chromy, contact me about an India-48 reunion. -Noel, ndzinn@comcast.net