23 November 1987 typed 2 pg missing a page

Dear Mom and Dad,

Time has flown since my last letter. The past month has been packed. Two weeks ago I got the message the Prime Minister wanted to see my computer…in fact, it was sent to him twice! Impressive interest in modern technology.

Weekend before last I flew to Nagpur in central India, then took a car for 2 hrs. then a jeep for 1 hr to a rural village with mud 2 foot deep well sprinkled with fresh cow dung…to evaluate the performance of survey team. On Sunday I dedicated a USAID supported food processing plant for roasting U.S. provided corn soy meal and mixing with raw sugar for young children. Tasted good.. Then I noticed the bags from the U.S. had weevils…glad the little devils were roasted! The newspaper picture of me is from Chandrapur; the paper is written in the local language Marathi.

Last week I started Hindi lessons. A a tutor comes to the house 6:30-7:30AM before breakfast. Demanding chap. Comes Wed. & Fri. Thank goodness Susan knows a little and coach me other days.

For my birthday, our house received a telephone: 607212. Also one of my staff left for the states for 10 days and loaned me his car. Nut! I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Can’t wait to get our car…but I’ll be lucky to get it by Christmas. I also bought a watch to replace the one lost while I slept on the plane flying back from Chandrapur.

Saturday night we went to Indian ballet, based on the Kamasutra love stories…neat. Had to leave in the middle of it for a late night garden dinner party.

This week I'm taking Susan to Baroda in Gujarat for a session training interviewers in survey work. We’ll be gone Friday night and Saturday. Sunday night we’re going to see the Bolshoi Ballet. Monday I fly to Calcutta for 2 days and then Madras for 3 days..for meetings on maternal mortality prevention.

Given all this you’ll be surprised to know that we have been having regular Bible readings after breakfast for the past week…probably he first full week a.k. (after kids).

John & Ruth asked if the Indians appreciate our “aid”. Let me provide a little perspective. The U.S. Is one of the stingier of the developed nations in % aid given to developing countries. Over half of the aid is given to 2 countries: Israel and Egypt. Most of the “aid” is military. Much of the remainder is to have some political influence. It is hardly charity or humanitarian. Even in extenuating circumstances such as the current drought, the U.S. proposes

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to take the interest India is paying the U.S. (ca $120 million/yr) and use a portion of it for India to purchase U.S. grains from U.S.

The total foreign assistance to India in the area of health is less than 1% of the health budget. The U.S. is not the largest donor. The U.S. provides ca. $25 million/yr. or about 1/6^th what India pays the U.S. in interest! The U.S. has many strings attached to its “aid.” In some ways it is amazing that India accepts the U.S. assistance.

Despite this, I find the Indian recipients of US AID are very grateful and appreciative. Despite the overt and much more visible than exchanges with USA, India has close personal ties with America.

India provides the U.S. with a tremendous amount of trained brainpower; specialists who migrate and who contribute to many professions in the U.S. This trained manpower provides more aid to the U.S. than our paltry contribution to India. The trained Indians exported from India also provide about $2 billion in foreign exchange back to India! Thus their aid to us is more fiscally rewarding to them than our direct aid to them.

Perhaps India’s greatest concern with the U.S. is our extraordinary military support for her immediate neighbor, Pakistan, with whom there are constant border shootings and intermittent recent wars.

Don’t quote the above figures! I can’t vouch for them, but I have heard all of them cited.

India is one very impressive country…the world’s largest democracy; the fifth largest industrial nation; a major English-speaking population; a country which has pulled itself up ty the bootstraps more than by foreign aid; a country determined to be self-reliant; yet one which needs continuing scientific and technical collaboration. And one which will continue to undergo turbulent times because of its large and heterogeneous population.

Enough on us & India. We enjoy your letters. Glad to hear of your interesting trip from Walla Walla to Desert Hot Springs. Brings back fond memories of U.S. and friends. Mel keeps a large map of U.S. on wall, and frequently asks when she can return. WE all go through episodic lonesomeness. Glad to hear George is doing better. Greece must have been restful.

Suggest you not send Round Robins here; too easy to get lost. We’ll send letters regularly to you to forward to

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