For the Eyes of Goans Only

Krishna Menon Swallowed Goa for his personal greed
By Shyam Sawant, Ponda

In mid-December 1961, acute tension developed between India and Portugal on the subject of Goa and other Portuguese enclaves in India.

It looked as if an invasion of Goa by the Indian military forces was imminent. U Thant sent identically-worded messages to the Foreign Ministers of Portugal and India requesting them to settle the dispute through peaceful means. This appeal fell on deaf ears and on December 18, Indian troops marched into Goa and completed the takeover of the territory in short order. This left a bad feeling amongst several delegates, who felt that India, a founding-member of the United Nations, had blatantly violated the U.N. Charter.

In the U.S. press there was comment about the fact that Krishna Menon had organised this military adventure and there was a cartoon depicting him as a python swallowing Goa and describing him as the "Goa Constrictor"!