Timeline - U.S.-india Relations

12/1/23, 5:53 PM Timeline: U.S.
-India Relations
1947 – 2023
U.S.-India Relations
https://www.cfr.org/timeline/us-india-relations 1/52
12/1/23, 5:53 PM Timeline: U.S.-India Relations
Since India’s independence, ties with the United States have

weathered Cold War–era distrust and estrangement over
India’s nuclear program. Relations have warmed in recent years
and cooperation has strengthened across a range of economic
and political areas.
1947
2023
August 15, 1947

India Declares Independence
Muslim refugees attempt to f lee India after partition in 1947. AP Photo
Britain declares the end of its colonial rule of the subcontinent

and passes the Indian Independence Act [PDF], which divides
the territory into Muslim-majority Pakistan and secular India,
whose population is majority Hindu. Violent clashes between
Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims follow, and as many as a million
die in bloodshed amidst the forced migration of up to twenty
million people.
October 13, 1949
Prime Minister Nehru Visits U.S.
Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and U.S. president Harry Truman wave at
the Washington, DC airport. AP Photo
Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru meets with U.S.

president Harry S. Truman on a multi-week tour tour of the
United States. The trip precedes India’s formal proclamation of
neutrality in the developing Cold War, in which it would take a
leadership role within the Non-Alignment movement. This sets
the tone for U.S.-India relations throughout the Cold War,
creating constraints within the relationship, as well as
opportunity for amity between Delhi and Moscow.
February 10, 1959

Martin Luther King Jr. Studies Gandhian
Nonviolence
Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King meet with Indian Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru. Bettmann/Getty Images
Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent struggle for

national independence, U.S. civil rights leader Martin Luther
King Jr. arrives in India for a month-long tour. He meets with
Prime Minister Nehru, Gandhi’s family and friends, and
scholars. After returning to the United States, King says the
trip reaffirmed his commitment to nonviolent resistance,
calling it “the most potent weapon available to oppressed
people in their struggle for justice and human dignity.”
December 9, 1959
President Eisenhower Visits India
President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the Taj Mahal. AP Photo
President Dwight Eisenhower is the first serving U.S. president

to visit the country. Eisenhower meets with President
Rajendra Prasad and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and
addresses Parliament.
U.S. Universities Support Indian

Technological Institute
Nine American universities and the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID) help establish one of the
first Indian Institutes of Technology. Under the Kanpur Indo-
American Program [PDF], American faculty members develop
academic programs and research laboratories at the new
university over a decade. The partnership is one of many
examples of higher education collaboration between the two
countries.
October 20, 1962

India, China Fight Border War
Refugees from Northeast India evacuate their homes after Chinese troops attack. AP
Photo
War breaks out between India and China over a disputed

frontier. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru writes to President
John F. Kennedy to request support from the United States.
Washington supports India in the conflict, recognizing the
McMahon line as the border, and provides air assistance and
arms. Until the 1965 India-Pakistan War, strategic and military
ties between Washington and Delhi remain close.
U.S. Agronomist Spurs Food Revolution
Nobel Peace Prize Winner Norman Borlaug looks at selected wheat stocks. AP Photo
Norman Borlaug travels to India to begin testing high-yield

wheat varieties. His collaboration with Indian scientist Dr.
M.S. Swaminathan results in the “Green Revolution,” and India
goes from food scarcity to self-sufficiency within a decade.
India, Pakistan Go to War
Pakistani citizens demand independence for East Pakistan. Bettmann/Getty Images
India and Pakistan become embroiled in their third conflict as

Pakistan descends into a civil war that ends with the creation
of Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, on December 6. Despite
evidence of the Pakistan Army’s violence against its own
citizens in East Pakistan, the United States sides with
Islamabad, given its mediating role in Nixon’s rapprochement
with China. India also signs a twenty-year Treaty of Friendship
and Cooperation with the Soviet Union in August, sharply

deviating from its previous position of non-alignment in the
Cold War.
May 18, 1974

India Completes First Nuclear Test
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi examines the nuclear test site. AP Photo
India detonates its first nuclear device, becoming the first

nation outside the five permanent members of the United
Nations Security Council to have declared nuclear capabilities.
The move contributes to a period of estrangement between
the United States and India that lasts over two decades.
January 1, 1978
President Carter Visits India
President Jimmy Carter at the Indian Parliament in New Delhi. Charles Harrity/AP
Photo
U.S. President Jimmy Carter visits India on a three-day official

trip to meet with Indian President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy and
Prime Minister Morarji Desai, and address Parliament. Desai
reciprocates with an official six-day visit to Washington in
June.
March 10, 1978

U.S. Enacts Nonproliferation Act
President Jimmy Carter signs the Nuclear-Non proliferation Act. AP Photo
The Carter administration enacts the Nuclear

Nonproliferation Act, which requires countries not included in
the Nonproliferation Treaty—which includes India—to allow
inspections of all nuclear facilities by the International Atomic
Energy Agency. India refuses, and Washington ends all nuclear
assistance to Delhi.
July 28, 1982

Indira Gandhi Mends Ties During U.S. Visit
Prime Minister Gandhi toasts President Reagan during a state dinner at the White
House. Bettmann/Getty Images
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi meets with President Ronald

Reagan during a state visit to improve the countries’ strained
relationship. Gandhi highlights differences between the
United States and India in a speech at the White House, but
says they should “find a common area, how so ever small.” The
leaders end up agreeing to increase cooperation and resolve a
dispute over nuclear power, four years after the United States
blocked shipments of low-enriched uranium fuel needed for
India’s Tarapur power plant. Two years later, Vice President
George H.W. Bush leads a high-level visit to New Delhi.
October 31, 1984

Indira Gandhi Assassinated
The cremation ceremony of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Bettmann/Getty Images
Prime Minister Gandhi is assassinated at her New Delhi

residence by Sikh security guards seeking vengeance after her
authorization of a military attack on a revered Sikh temple in
Amritsar five months prior. Gandhi, the daughter of India’s
first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, first took office in 1966
and served three consecutive terms until 1977. She served a
fourth term starting in 1980 and held office until her death.
Gandhi is succeeded as prime minister by her son, Rajiv.
December 3, 1984
Thousands Die in Bhopal Leak
Victims of the Bhopal leak in front of the Union Carbide factory. AFP/Getty Images
A toxic gas and chemical leak at American-owned Union

Carbide Pesticide Plant in Bhopal, India, kills thousands. India
unsuccessfully seeks extradition of the company’s chief
executive from the United States for criminal prosecution as
the death and disability toll climbs to the tens of thousands in
the ensuing years. The incident harms U.S.-India relations, and
continues to complicate the bilateral relationship years after.
May 20, 1990
U.S. Crisis Mission Travels to Region
A missile on display during a Republic Day parade in New Delhi. Kamal

Kishore/Reuters
Deputy National Security Advisor Robert Gates travels to

India and Pakistan to defuse tensions over the rapidly
escalating insurgency in Kashmir. The trip comes amid fears of
potential nuclear warfare between Pakistan and India.
July 24, 1991

India Launches Economic Reforms
The government of Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha

Rao launches sweeping economic reforms that help expand
economic ties with the United States. Finance Minister
Manmohan Singh oversees the opening of India’s economy to
international trade and investment, deregulation, initiation of
privatisation, tax reforms, and inflation controlling measures
that catalyze decades of fast growth.
May 11, 1998

India Tests Nuclear Devices
Activists stage a protest on the first anniversary of the nuclear tests in New Delhi.
Reuters
The Indian government announces the completion of a series

of underground nuclear tests close to the border with
Pakistan, surprising U.S. intelligence organizations and raising
fears the move could spark a regional nuclear arms race. The
tests draw international condemnation and badly damage
India’s relationship with the United States. After recalling the
U.S. ambassador to India, President Bill Clinton imposes
economic sanctions, required under U.S. law.
March 3, 1999
Pakistan, India Clash in Kashmir
Indian soldiers in the Kargil sector in Kashmir. Vijay Gupta/Getty Images
Pakistani forces infiltrate Indian-administered Kashmir. India

launches air strikes in return, and armed conflict continues
through early July. After President Clinton summons Pakistani
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Washington for a Fourth of
July emergency meeting, Sharif withdraws Pakistani forces
from their positions beyond the Line of Control.
March 20, 2000

Clinton Trip Signals Warming Ties
President Clinton reaches out to residents of Nayla, India. J. Scott Applewhite/Reuters
President Bill Clinton makes the first U.S. presidential trip to

India since 1978. The visit ends the estrangement of the post-
1998 Indian nuclear weapons tests, although the Clinton
administration presses India’s government to sign the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. The Indo-U.S. Science and
Technology Forum is also established during the visit. As
India’s economy begins to take off, the trip indicates a further
shift in Washington’s regional orientation away from its Cold
War alliance with Pakistan.
September 22, 2001

U.S. Lifts India Sanctions
2001
A banner encourages the boycott of U.S. goods after Washington imposes economic
sanctions on India. Savita Kirloskar/Reuters
President George W. Bush’s administration lifts all remaining

U.S. sanctions that were imposed on India after its 1998
nuclear test. Most economic sanctions had been eased within a
few months of their imposition, and Congress authorized the
president to remove all remaining restrictions in 1999.
2005
March 15, 2005
Energy Security Dialogue Begins
Natwar Singh greets Condoleezza Rice. Kamal Kishore/Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits New Delhi,

where she and Indian officials agree to start a dialogue on
energy security. The visit underscores an upswing in relations
despite tensions over India’s possible energy cooperation with
Iran and the U.S. sale of fighter jets to Pakistan.
June 28, 2005

U.S., India Sign New Defense Framework
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld shakes hands with Indian Defense Minister
Pranab Mukherjee. Larry Downing/Reuters
The United States and India sign the New Framework for the
U.S.-India Defense Relationship [PDF], which sets priorities
for defense cooperation in maritime security, humanitarian
assistance/disaster relief, and counterterrorism. In October, the
two countries conduct the largest naval exercise to date,
followed by major air and land exercises.
July 18, 2005

Landmark Civil Nuclear Deal Drafted
President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a White
House press conference. Larry Downing/Reuters
India and the United States ink the Civil Nuclear Cooperation
Initiative, a framework that lifts a three-decade U.S.
moratorium on nuclear energy trade with India. Under the
agreement, India agrees to separate its civil and military
nuclear facilities and place all its civil resources under
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. In
exchange, the United States agrees to work toward full civil

nuclear cooperation with India. Congress gives final approval
in October 2008.
2006
March 1, 2006
President Bush Visits India
U.S. President George W. Bush greets people after a speech in New Delhi. Jim
Young/Reuters
President Bush makes a visit to India, where he and Indian

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh finalize the framework of
the civil nuclear deal and boost security and economic ties.
The nuclear deal, completed in July 2007, makes India the only
country outside of the Nonproliferation Treaty that has

nuclear capabilities and is allowed to participate in nuclear
commerce.
2007
April 27, 2007
Mangoes-for-Motorcycles Deal Signals
Deepening Trade Ties
Secretary Rice holds a basket of mangoes given to her by an Indian official in June
2007. Joshua Roberts/Reuters
Some of the first shipments of Indian mangoes arrive in the

United States, ending an eighteen-year ban on importing the
fruit. The ban is lifted as part of an agreement reached by
President Bush and Prime Minister Singh in 2006 to double
trade between the countries within three years. In response,
India says it will relax restrictions on importing Harley-
Davidson motorcycles from the United States. Bilateral trade
in goods and services totaled around $45 billion in 2006 and
rose to more than $70 billion in 2010, according to the U.S.
Bureau of Economic Analysis.
2008
September 6, 2008
Nuclear Energy Regulator Allows Indian
Nuclear Trade
The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), an intergovernmental
body that sets guidelines for nuclear exports, allows an
exemption to its rules [PDF] that permits India to engage in
nuclear trade for the first time in three decades. The waiver is
approved following intense diplomatic efforts by the Bush
administration, dating back to 2005 when Washington and
New Delhi signed the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Initiative.
Ahead of the NSG negotiations, Secretary Rice lobbies foreign
counterparts to support the waiver, making more than two

dozen phone calls. Analysts say the deal is critical to India’s
economic growth and satisfying increasing energy demands.
November 8, 2008
Indian Spacecraft Makes First Moon Landing
A rocket carrying India's first unmanned moon mission, Chandrayaan-1, blasts off.
Babu/Reuters
Chandrayaan-1 becomes the first Indian spacecraft to land on

the moon. It carries two scientific instruments designed by
NASA scientists, which later discover water molecules on the
moon’s surface. The achievement is one of many resulting

from ongoing U.S.-India space cooperation dating back to
1963.
November 26, 2008

Terrorists Attack Taj Mahal Palace Hotel
Photographers run past a burning Taj Mahal Hotel. Punit Paranjpe/Reuters
Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists from Pakistan attack the Taj Mahal

Palace Hotel in Mumbai. More than three hundred citizens die
in the three-day conflagration, including six Americans. The
United States cooperates closely with Indian authorities,
sending FBI investigators and forensics experts.
2009
November 24, 2009
Prime Minister Singh Begins U.S. State Visit
President Barack Obama with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a state
dinner. Jason Reed/Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama hosts the inaugural state visit of

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Despite its symbolic
importance, the trip fails to yield any significant
breakthroughs in the bilateral relationship.
2010
April 5, 2010
U.S. Treasury Secretary Launches Economic
Partnership
Treasury Secretary Geithner and Finance Minister Mukherjee meet in New Delhi.
Raveendran/AFP/Getty Images
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner makes his first

official trip to India to launch the new U.S.-India Economic
and Financial Partnership with Indian Finance Minister
Pranab Mukherjee. The ministerial-level meetings kick off an

effort to institutionalize deeper bilateral relations on
economic and financial sector issues.
June 1, 2010
U.S., India Hold First Strategic Dialogue
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue
reception. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
The United States and India formally convene the first U.S.-
India Strategic Dialogue. A large, high-ranking delegation of
Indian officials visits Washington, DC, and Secretary Clinton
lauds India as “an indispensable partner.” President Obama

says the relationship “will be a defining partnership in the
twenty-first century.” Subsequent dialogues follow annually.
November 5, 2010
Obama Backs India Bid for UN Security
Council
President Obama visits India, where he addresses Parliament
and backs the country’s long-held bid for a permanent seat on
the United Nations Security Council. The trip also highlights
the countries’ economic ties, with Obama announcing $14.9
billion in trade deals. However, trade concerns around access
to Indian markets and issues surrounding civil nuclear
cooperation cloud the talks.
2011
July 19, 2011
U.S., India Ink Cybersecurity Memorandum

The United States and India sign a Memorandum of
Understanding in New Delhi to promote closer cybersecurity
cooperation. The agreement is designed to fulfill one of the
pillars of the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue.
2012
May 30, 2012
Panetta Boosts Military Ties
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta inspects guards in New Delhi. Jim
Watson/Reuters
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta visits India to bolster

military ties in the wake of the Obama administration’s
announced “pivot” to Asia. The trip marks the first such visit
since former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates met with
Indian counterparts in January 2010.
2013
September 27, 2013
Singh Makes Last Visit to Washington
President Barack Obama with India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Oval
Office. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Manmohan Singh visits Washington in his last visit to the

United States as India’s prime minister. The trip, which focuses
on security, trade, immigration reform, and the civilian nuclear
deal, marks the third meeting between Singh and Obama in
four years. It comes amid a backdrop of domestic political
issues in Delhi, a troubled Indian economy, and a government
shutdown crippling Washington.
2014
March 31, 2014
Diplomatic Row Sours Ties
U.S. Ambassador to India Nancy Powell attends an event in New Delhi. Sajjad
Hussain/AFP/GettyImages
The U.S. embassy in India announces Ambassador Nancy

Powell’s resignation in the wake of a dispute over the arrest of
an Indian diplomat in New York. The announcement comes
amid the run-up to high-profile national elections.
May 20, 2014

Obama Invites Modi to U.S.
The Hindu nationalist BJP party wins national elections in a
landslide, elevating Narendra Modi to prime minister.
President Obama congratulates Modi and invites him to the
White House, reversing an earlier visa ban. Modi had been
barred from entering the country over U.S. concerns about the
2002 massacre of Muslims in the state of Gujarat, which
occurred when Modi was the state’s chief minister.
September 26, 2014
Modi Makes High-Profile U.S. Visit
Prime Minister Modi speaking at Madison Square Garden in New York. Lucas
Jackson/Reuters
Modi makes his first visit as prime minister to the United

States, aiming to attract investment and firm up the U.S.-India
strategic partnership. Modi’s events include a sold-out speech
in New York’s Madison Square Garden and meetings with U.S.
business executives. In Washington, Modi and President
Obama reach agreement on a memorandum of understanding
between the Export-Import Bank and an Indian energy agency,
which provides up to $1 billion to help India develop low-
carbon energy alternatives and aid U.S. renewable energy
exports to India.
2015
January 24, 2015

Obama’s Second India Visit Elevates Ties
U.S. president Barack Obama and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi walk
through the gardens at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. Jim Bourg/Reuters
President Obama makes his second visit to India as head of

state for India’s Republic Day celebrations. The president
heralds the relationship between the world’s two largest
democracies, saying, “America can be India’s best partner.”
Obama and Prime Minister Modi announce a breakthrough on
nuclear-related issues that could help implement the U.S.-India
civil nuclear deal. Six months later, U.S. Secretary of Defense
Ashton Carter and India’s defense minister, Manohar Parrikar,
sign documents to renew the ten-year U.S.-India Defense
Framework Agreement.
https://www.cfr.org/timeline/us-india-relations
2016 42/52
June 7, 2016
Obama Recognizes India as Major Defense
Partner
India’s Prime Minister Modi addresses Congress on Capitol Hill. Carlos Barria/Reuters
During Prime Minister Modi and President Obama’s final

meeting in the White House, the United States elevates India
to a major defense partner, a status no other country holds. An
expansion of the ten-year defense agreement renewed in 2015,
the designation, which became law in August 2018, means that
India will enjoy some of the benefits of being a U.S. treaty ally,
such as access to defense technology, though the alliance is not
a formal one. In a speech before Congress a day later, Modi
celebrates his country’s growing diplomatic and economic ties
with the United States. Two months later, the United States
and India sign an agreement on deeper military cooperation
after nearly a decade of negotiations.
2017
February 22, 2017
Indian Engineers Attacked in Hate Crime
The wife of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was shot dead in Kansas, is consoled by family
members. Noah Seelam/AFP/Getty Images
After confronting two Indian men at a restaurant in Kansas,

yelling “get out of my country,” a white man shoots the two
men, as well as a third who intervened. One of the men,
Srinivas Kuchibhotla, dies, and his friend, Alok Madasani, and
the bystander are injured. India sends nearly one-fifth of the
foreign students studying in the United States and more than
three-quarters of the highly skilled workers approved for H-1B
visas [PDF], but the racist attack sparks concern among
Indians that the United States is not safe for them. Increasing
anti-immigrant rhetoric causes some prospective applicants to
rethink their plans.
June 26, 2017

Trump, Modi Meet for First Time
Prime Minister Modi and President Trump meet for the first time at the White House
in June 2017. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
President Donald J. Trump welcomes Prime Minister Modi to

the White House for their first face-to-face meeting. Though
Trump had raised sharp disagreements with India over trade,
climate change, and H-1B visas, these issues are sidelined
during the leaders’ summit, and their joint statement
emphasizes strengthening their defense partnership,

cooperating on counterterrorism efforts, and boosting
economic ties.
2018
September 6, 2018
Another Step Forward Taken in Defense
Partnership
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis, India's
Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and India's Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
attend a news conference in New Delhi. Adnan Abidi/Reuters
During a “two-plus-two” dialogue in New Delhi, U.S. Secretary

of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis
sign an agreement with Indian Minister of External Affairs
Sushma Swaraj and Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement

(COMCASA) gives India access to advanced communication
technology used in U.S. defense equipment and allows real-
time information sharing between the two countries’
militaries. The agreement had been under negotiation for
nearly a decade.
2019
June 5, 2019
Trump Ends India’s Special Trade Status
The Trump administration terminates India’s preferential
trade status, part of a program dating back to the 1970s that
allows products from developing countries to enter the U.S.
market duty free. Trump says India has not provided
“equitable and reasonable access” to its own market. Weeks
later, India slaps tariffs on twenty-eight U.S. products in
response to U.S. duties on steel and aluminum imposed in
2018. New Delhi had drafted the retaliatory tariffs earlier but
held off on implementing them amid trade talks.
2020
February 24, 2020
Trump Makes First Visit to India
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tour the Taj Mahal during their visit.
Al Drago/Reuters
At an Ahmedabad rally with an audience of more than one

hundred thousand people, President Trump praises the U.S.-
India relationship and Prime Minister Modi’s leadership. The
two leaders announce plans to work together on
counternarcotics and mental health. India agrees to purchase
$3 billion in U.S. military equipment, and U.S.-based oil
company ExxonMobil announces a deal with state-owned
Indian Oil Corporation. Despite years of negotiations aimed at
resolving trade issues, officials do not reach an agreement,

with divisions remaining over agricultural products, tariffs,
and other areas. Amid Trump’s visit, deadly clashes between
Hindus and Muslims that are connected to a controversial
citizenship law break out in New Delhi. Trump does not
publicly mention the violence or take a firm stance on the law,
which critics say discriminates against Muslims.
October 27, 2020

Officials Sign Deal to Boost Intelligence
Sharing
U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper and Secretary Pompeo meet with Indian
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam
Jaishankar in New Delhi. Adnan Abidi/Reuters
The top U.S. and Indian defense and foreign affairs officials
sign an intelligence-sharing agreement during the third round
of their two-plus-two dialogue. The Basic Exchange and
Cooperation Agreement (BECA) is the last of four
foundational military agreements signed by both countries
over the past two decades. It allows for the sharing of sensitive
geospatial data to boost the accuracy of Indian drones and
cruise missiles. During a press conference, U.S. Secretary of
Defense Mark T. Esper emphasizes the countries’ commitment
to keeping the Indo-Pacific free and open, “particularly in
light of increasing aggression and destabilizing activities by
China.”
2021
September 24, 2021
First In-Person Quad Leaders’ Summit
Leaders of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue meet in the White House. Sarahbeth
Maney-Pool/Getty Images
President Joe Biden hosts Prime Minister Modi at the White

House alongside the prime ministers of Australia and Japan
for the first in-person leaders’ summit of the informal security
dialogue known as the Quad. The leaders agreed to coordinate
their strategic goals, including by donating more than one
billion COVID-19 vaccines globally and forming a low-carbon
shipping network. A year earlier, the group convened their
largest joint military exercise in a decade amid heightened
regional tensions with China.
2023
January 31, 2023
Deepening Defense and Economic
Cooperation
U.S. and Indian officials announce the Initiative on Critical
and Emerging Technologies (iCET), an agreement that aims to
expand bilateral technology and defense cooperation. The
initiative includes provisions on weapons, artificial
intelligence, and semiconductors, and is followed by the
launch of the U.S.-India Strategic Trade Dialogue, which aims
to implement iCET. As part of the deal, U.S. officials seek to
reduce India's purchase of Russian arms, which they say helps
finance Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russia remains the largest
supplier of Indian matériel in mid-2023, but sales slow as India
seeks to avoid violating U.S. sanctions.

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12/1/23, 5:53 PM Timeline: U.S.

Since India’s independence, ties with the United States have

August 15, 1947

Muslim refugees attempt to f lee India after partition in 1947. AP Photo

Britain declares the end of its colonial rule of the subcontinent

October 13, 1949

Prime Minister Nehru Visits U.S.

Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru meets with U.S.

February 10, 1959

Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent struggle for

President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the Taj Mahal. AP Photo

President Dwight Eisenhower is the first serving U.S. president

U.S. Universities Support Indian

October 20, 1962

War breaks out between India and China over a disputed

U.S. Agronomist Spurs Food Revolution

Norman Borlaug travels to India to begin testing high-yield

India, Pakistan Go to War

Pakistani citizens demand independence for East Pakistan. Bettmann/Getty Images

India and Pakistan become embroiled in their third conflict as

and Cooperation with the Soviet Union in August, sharply

May 18, 1974

India detonates its first nuclear device, becoming the first

U.S. President Jimmy Carter visits India on a three-day official

March 10, 1978

President Jimmy Carter signs the Nuclear-Non proliferation Act. AP Photo

The Carter administration enacts the Nuclear

July 28, 1982

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi meets with President Ronald

October 31, 1984

The cremation ceremony of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Bettmann/Getty Images

Prime Minister Gandhi is assassinated at her New Delhi

Thousands Die in Bhopal Leak

A toxic gas and chemical leak at American-owned Union

May 20, 1990

U.S. Crisis Mission Travels to Region

A missile on display during a Republic Day parade in New Delhi. Kamal

Deputy National Security Advisor Robert Gates travels to

July 24, 1991

The government of Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha

May 11, 1998

The Indian government announces the completion of a series

Indian soldiers in the Kargil sector in Kashmir. Vijay Gupta/Getty Images

Pakistani forces infiltrate Indian-administered Kashmir. India

March 20, 2000

President Clinton reaches out to residents of Nayla, India. J. Scott Applewhite/Reuters

President Bill Clinton makes the first U.S. presidential trip to

September 22, 2001

President George W. Bush’s administration lifts all remaining

Natwar Singh greets Condoleezza Rice. Kamal Kishore/Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits New Delhi,

June 28, 2005

July 18, 2005

exchange, the United States agrees to work toward full civil

President Bush makes a visit to India, where he and Indian

country outside of the Nonproliferation Treaty that has

Some of the first shipments of Indian mangoes arrive in the

counterparts to support the waiver, making more than two

Chandrayaan-1 becomes the first Indian spacecraft to land on

moon’s surface. The achievement is one of many resulting

November 26, 2008

Photographers run past a burning Taj Mahal Hotel. Punit Paranjpe/Reuters