According to JPAC (Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command) of the US, 78,000 Americans are still missing from World War II— 1,632 of them in the China/Burma/India theatre. It is believed that about 430 of these, mainly World War II pilots of the US Air Force, died in plane crashes in India’s Arunachal Pradesh while carrying out air-drops in the Kachin state of North Burma and ferrying supplies to the KMT troops in Yunnan.
In the beginning of 2008, when Mr George Bush was the President of the US, the BBC reported that a US team was visiting Arunachal Pradesh to search for the remains of the US pilots. It quoted the then US Consul-General in Kolkata, Mr Henry Jardine, as saying that the mission "was in its preliminary stages". He added: "We are just going to Arunachal Pradesh to speak to various people in the government who could help in the search." The BBC reported that the groundwork for the investigation mission to Arunachal Pradesh was done during a meeting between US and Indian officials in New Delhi in March, 2008.
JPAC spokesman Major Brian DeSantis was quoted by the BBC as saying that during the New Delhi meeting, the officials of the two countries discussed a tentative timeline for future investigations and identification of aircraft crash sites. He added: "Now our team is going to Arunachal Pradesh to discuss details of future operations with Ministry of Defence and Arunachal Pradesh officials. This will be followed by site visits in early fall [autumn] to determine the scope of debris fields and evaluate unique logistical requirements associated with each site. This process sets the groundwork for future recovery teams."
These developments caused concern in Beijing which interpreted them as implying US recognition of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as its territory and describes as southern Tibet, as Indian territory.
A commentary broadcast on March 25, 2008, by the China Radio International criticised the US for its plans to search for American airmen missing in action during the Second World War, in “Arunachal Pradesh, the so-called Province set up forcibly and illegally by India in Chinese territory”. Declaring that the ‘Chinese government has never recognised the legality of this province’, it alleged that after a change in its stand ( of allowing the US to undertake searches) in January 2008, India was cooperating with US in this regard, scheduling a meeting between the two sides in New Delhi in March 2008.
The commentary claimed that the Indian Intelligence Bureau had opposed the US idea from the point of view of the region’s sensitivity, particularly in respect of entry of foreigners, but the ministry of home affairs of the government of India had rejected the IB’s reservations.
The Commentary described New Delhi’s motivations in this regard as attempting to strengthen military ties with Washington and legalise the status of Arunachal Pradesh as an Indian province, expecting that this would contribute to an increase in India’s weight in the ongoing negotiations with China on the disputed border. The US motivations, according to the Commentary, were to further develop its military relations with India and use the Arunachal issue as means to restrain China’s intentions.
An Indian news agency report of February 25, 2010, quoted US Consular officials in India as appreciating the cooperation of the Indian government, the Indian Air Force and the state government of Arunachal Pradesh with US defence teams searching for the remains of US pilots in Arunchal Pradesh.
The agency report said that the searches under the Joint POW/missing-in-action Accounting Command were being conducted in different parts of Arunachal Pradesh as a humanitarian mission. The report further quoted a US Consular official as saying: "No remains have so far been found, but we will continue the search.”
The weekly India Today reported on July 22, 2011, that President Barack Obama had suspended search and recovery expeditions into Arunachal Pradesh after complaints from the Chinese. The India Today reported as follows: