This started from Adlai Stevenson, who after losing the election to GenDwight Eisenhower, proceeded to Srinagar ostensibly for a houseboat holiday onthe Dal Lake and tried to meddle in the affairs of the state by suggesting toSheikh Abdullah, the then Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, that he shouldseek independence and promised that the US would support him. When the IndianIntelligence Bureau informed Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister, ofStevenson's secret discussions with Abdullah, he sacked Abdullah. AdlaiStevenson became persona non grata with the Indian political class and public.