Delhi – Palam Airport – April 5th, 1949
The roar of the departing aircraft slowly faded into the crisp Delhi sky. Arjun stood on the tarmac watching the British civilian charter become a distant speck against the clouds.
On board were Krishna Menon and Dr. V.M. Ghante, heading to Farnborough with a mission that could make or break India's aerospace future.
Arjun felt a mixture of anticipation and calculated concern as he watched them disappear. The success or failure of recruiting Hans Multhopp could determine whether India's aerospace programs would take years or decades to achieve their potential.
Everything depended on Menon's diplomatic skills and Ghante's scientific credibility.
As the aircraft vanished completely, Arjun turned and walked back to his waiting car. His mind was already shifting to other pressing matters. The diplomatic initiatives were progressing, industrial development was advancing, social reforms were being implemented.
But the world never stood still, and new challenges kept emerging that required his attention.
Delhi – Prime Minister's Office, South Block – Later, April 5th, 1949
Back in his office, Arjun found a red-tabbed folder waiting on his desk. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had delivered it personally, which usually meant something significant had happened.
The contents, though Arjun had expected this development from his future knowledge, still carried immediate and profound geopolitical implications.
"Arjun," Patel began, his voice carrying that familiar low rumble that meant serious business, "the news just broke from Washington. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has been formally established."
Arjun nodded slowly, his gaze becoming distant as he processed this information. 'So, it's finally here', he thought. The formalization of the Western bloc. The Iron Curtain wasn't just descending ideologically anymore, but militarily as well.
"Who are the signatories, Sardar ji?" Arjun asked, even though he already knew the answer. He wanted to see if there had been any deviations from the original timeline he remembered.
"The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Portugal, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland," Patel recited from the cable, his brow furrowed as he considered the weight of this new global alignment.
"It's an unambiguous military bloc, clearly. A direct response to Soviet expansionism in Europe. The world is now officially divided into two armed camps."
Arjun walked over to the large world map that covered one wall of his office. His future knowledge allowed him to see the coming decades of ideological struggle, proxy wars, and nuclear brinkmanship that would define global politics.
This was the structure that would shape international relations for generations to come.
"This development, Sardar ji," Arjun said thoughtfully, his voice carrying an almost prophetic quality, "is exactly what will tie the Western powers down for decades.
Their focus, their resources, their military capabilities will all be heavily consumed by the complexities of containing the Soviets in Europe.
The strategic imperative to hold the line against communism along the Rhine means they'll have much less capacity to interfere with our plans in Asia."
He traced his finger along the map, following the emerging division lines. "In many ways, this will make them more dependent on us for regional stability in South Asia. They'll need reliable partners like us who can maintain order without requiring constant Western oversight."
Patel nodded with grim satisfaction. He grasped the immediate strategic advantage this presented. "Their distraction becomes our opportunity. It also ensures that our regional sphere of influence remains primarily our domain to shape."
Global Reactions – Early April 1949
The formation of NATO triggered intense reactions around the world, marking a definitive declaration of the Cold War's new military dimension.
In Washington D.C., President Truman publicly hailed NATO as an essential deterrent against Soviet aggression and a shield for Western democracy.
Privately, American officials understood they were committing the United States to a long-term military presence in Europe that would consume enormous resources and attention.
The reaction in London was similarly mixed. Prime Minister Attlee's government publicly welcomed NATO as a necessary security measure, but privately viewed it with relief for American commitment combined with frustration at Britain's increasingly diminished global standing.
They were now clearly the junior partner in the Western alliance.
In Paris, the French government under Bidault officially welcomed NATO as a security guarantee against Soviet threats.
However, French officials privately harbored deep frustration that this formalized their dependence on Anglo-American military protection and further highlighted the erosion of France's independent great-power status.
But one particular nation was beyond furious about these developments.
Moscow – The Kremlin – Early April 1949
In Moscow, the reaction to NATO was predictably explosive. Stalin and Molotov publicly denounced it as an aggressive imperialist bloc aimed directly at destroying the Soviet Union, calling it a clear violation of international law and the spirit of wartime cooperation.
The Soviet propaganda machine immediately went into overdrive, portraying NATO as evidence that the West was preparing for a new war of aggression.
Privately, however, Stalin recognized the strategic implications more clearly.
NATO solidified the western Iron Curtain, but it also drew Western attention and military resources even more deeply into European affairs. This left Asia as a secondary theater where opportunities might still exist for Soviet influence.
Not that there were many such opportunities available. India, which represented most of the South Asian region's strategic importance, had already been effectively closed off by Mehra's decisive policies.
China was still deep in civil war, a conflict that was supposed to have been resolved by now according to Soviet expectations. Beyond these two major powers, the rest of the Asian nations were relatively insignificant from Moscow's perspective.
London – Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), Farnborough – April 7th, 1949
Meanwhile, completely unaffected by these grand geopolitical developments, Krishna Menon and Dr. Ghante landed in London and made their way to the Indian High Commission.
The British government, now fully preoccupied with understanding the ramifications of NATO and their new military commitments, had little attention to spare for the arrival of an Indian diplomatic delegation beyond handling the basic formalities.
After completing the necessary protocol at the High Commission, Menon and Ghante proceeded directly to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough. Their mission was simple: locate Hans Multhopp and convince him to join India's aerospace program.
The timing, Arjun reflected back in Delhi, was actually perfect. With the West now formally committed to massive military expenditures in Europe and the construction of a permanent alliance structure, their interest in monitoring or interfering with individual recruitment efforts in peripheral areas would be minimal.
NATO's formation had inadvertently provided perfect cover for India's most sensitive human intelligence acquisition mission.
The walls that the West had built to contain the Soviets might just provide the shelter that India needed to acquire the genius it required for its own technological revolution.
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[A/N: Today's chapter is a bit shorter]