This is a story from 1971.

In the 1971 Indo-Pak war, when Pakistan’s defeat seemed imminent. Kissinger spurred Nixon to send the US’ 7th fleet’s task force, led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, to the Bay of Bengal with the goal of threatening / attacking India on Pakistan’s behalf.

The USS Enterprise, at 75,000 tons, was the world’s largest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the 1970s with more than 70 fighter aircraft. A monster. The Indian Navy’s fleet was led by the 20,000-ton aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, with 20 light fighter aircraft.

The USS Enterprise was being dispatched from the Pacific to “secure American citizens in Bangladesh” which was the official American statement. Of course what it was really there for was to attack the Indian forces in support of Pakistan (and prevent the liberation of East Pakistan).

If this wasn’t bad enough, India soon got another piece of bad news.

Soviet intelligence reported to India that a powerful British naval group led by the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle with commando carrier HMS Albion, several destroyers and other ships were approaching India’s territorial waters from the west, towards the Arabian Sea.

The British and the Americans had planned a coordinated pincer attack against India: the British ships in the Arabian Sea will target India’s western coast, while Americans would make a dash to Chittagong. Caught between the British & the American ships would be the Indian Navy.

It was December 1971, and the world’s two leading democracies were now threatening the world’s largest democracy. India sent a SOS to the Soviet Union. The Red Navy immediately dispatched 16 Soviet naval units and six nuclear submarines from Vladivostok, under the overall command of Admiral Vladimir Kruglyakov.

Admiral N. Krishnan, the chief of the Eastern Command of the Indian Navy was afraid that the Americans will reach Chittagong before the Soviets. They even thought of attacking the USS Enterprise, in a suicide move, just to slow it down.

In the 2nd week of December in 1971, the US 7th Fleet’s Task Force, led by the monstrous USS Enterprise arrived in the Bay of Bengal. The British fleet was arriving in the Arabian Sea.

But, unknown to Americans, the Soviet submarines had already overtaken them.

As the USS Enterprise moved towards East Pakistan, the Soviet submarines surfaced without any warning, between India and the US naval force. Similar incidents happened on the west coast between the British vessels and the Indian coast.

Both the Americans & British were shocked. They refused to engage the Soviets and both American and British fleets backed off.

Today, most Indians may not even know about these incidents where 2 so-called democracies actually supported a mititary-controlled dictatorship state against the world’s largest democracy.

Indians should never forget this incident – who attacked us and who defended us.

– this story is from Srinath Raghavan’s book: 1971 – A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh. – a definite must-read.