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From: jis1@ahuta.UUCP (j.mukerji)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.nlang.india
Subject: Re: Recent Indian double agent story
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Date: Fri, 8-Feb-85 11:09:05 EST
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Posted: Fri Feb  8 11:09:05 1985
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I was in India when the spy scandal broke. My understanding is that the
information that was being passed out related to the plans of the Government
of India for the modernization of the armed forces and the telecommunication
system, and perhaps info on what kind of incentives to appropriate
government officials could clinch a large sale of arms or communication
equipment to the Govt. of India. As far as I can tell it did not have much
to do with selling the secrets of the east to the west and vice-versa.

India is in the market for buying technology to modernize its defence and
communication systems. Countries like France, Japan and the USSR are vying
with each other to get a piece of the pie, because a lot of these purchases
are going to be in hard currency. It is already known that a French and a
Russian deplomat have been declared persona-non-grata in connection with
this scandal. Also a large number (22?) of relatively high level secretaries
in the Prime Ministers secretariate and several other strategic ministries
have been arrested. 

In this connection, one may recall that India signed a large contract for
telephone equipment with CIT-Alcatel sometime back over the strainous
objections of many technocrats. There was an interesting article on that
deal in one of the issues of India Today last year (I don't recall which at
this moment).

Any further information on this will be most appreciated.

Jishnu Mukerji