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President Richard Nixon had threatened the head of the CIA, saying: “I know who killed JFK.” When he was driven out of office, Nixon refused the protection of the Secret Service. This recent attempted assassination was according to their proven playbook. Use a claimed lone shoot, kill him to make sure there is never a trial, and the problem is eliminated. I have often said that history is merely a map to the future, for human nature never changes. ... There were assassinations and attempted assassinations of Roman emperors by rivals and sometimes bureaucrats who were trying to weasel in...

There was a lot in common between former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her British contemporary Margaret Thatcher as the two had struck up a close rapport and both felt the loneliness of high office. Besides being the first women to take charge of a largely male-dominated political world of their respective countries, the two women had an almost identical steely resolve on difficult issues. They may not have always agreed with each other and are believed to have had a number of fiery exchanges, but there was a grudging respect on both sides. "But in spite of everything...

Nixon Called Indira Gandhi an 'Old Witch' By ANNE GEARAN, AP Diplomatic Writer Tue Jun 28, 6:59 PM ET WASHINGTON - President Nixon referred privately to Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as an "old witch" and national security adviser Henry Kissinger insulted Indians in general, according to transcripts of Oval Office tapes and newly declassified documents released Tuesday. Nixon and Kissinger met in the Oval Office on the morning of Nov. 5, 1971, to discuss Nixon's conversation with Gandhi the day before. "We really slobbered over the old witch," Nixon told Kissinger, according to a transcript of their conversation released...

Associated Press WASHINGTON, June 29. — President Richard Nixon referred privately to Indira Gandhi as an ‘‘old witch’’ and national security adviser Mr Henry Kissinger insulted Indians in general, according to transcripts of Oval Office tapes and newly declassified documents. Nixon and Mr Kissinger met in the Oval Office on the morning of 5 November, 1971, to discuss Nixon’s conversation with Indira Gandhi the day before. ‘‘We really slobbered over the old witch,’’ Nixon told Mr Kissinger, according to a transcript of their conversation released yesterday as part of a State Department compilation of significant documents involving American foreign policy....

EXPRESSING REGRET for the use of abusive language against former PM Indira Gandhi in particular and Indians in general in 1971, former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger said the remarks had to be seen in the context of the Cold War prevailing at that time. He told NDTV the use of strong language was a “one-time event” and he actually held Indira in “high regard”. He was also a “strong supporter and promoter” of a close relationship between India and the US. “In any event I regret these words were used. I have extremely high regard for Mrs Gandhi...

HUA HIN, Thailand - Indians are "a slippery, treacherous people", said president Richard Nixon. "The Indians are bastards anyway. They are the most aggressive goddamn people around," echoed his assistant for national security affairs, Henry Kissinger. The setting: a White House meeting on July 16, 1971, during the run-up to the India-Pakistan war which ultimately led to the birth of Bangladesh, erstwhile East Pakistan. The US State Department recently declassified some of the Nixon White House tapes and secret documents that bring to light the way in which the Nixon administration went about the Bangladesh saga, reflecting the potential of...

AMRITSAR, India, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Two decades ago, India's Sikhs were going through their worst crisis -- a separatist insurgency was raging, the army bombed their holiest shrine and two Sikh bodyguards assassinated the prime minister. Thousands of Sikhs then died in reprisal riots which flared across northern India. Just 20 years later, many in the small but highly visible and prosperous community believe this is their finest hour. For the first time, a Sikh, Manmohan Singh, has become prime minister, leading the world's second-most populous nation. But even as they revel in Singh's achievement, the wounds of 1984,...

NEW DELHI - Italian-born Sonia Gandhi dropped out of the race to become India's prime minister on Tuesday to end debate over her foreign birth, opening the way for her Congress party to choose an economic reformer as its leader. "I must humbly decline this post," she told an uproarious meeting of lawmakers from her Congress party. Fighting to make herself heard above indignant shouts from her supporters, she said: "I request you to accept my decision and to recognize that I will not reverse it. "It is my inner voice, my conscience," said Gandhi, 57-year-old widow of murdered former...