Despite China having announced its intention of annexing Tibet, the international community was caught completely unawares when the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) boldly moved into Tibet on 7 October. When the Tibetan government turned desperately to India for help, Nehru seemed completely at sea. Appeals for aid were turned down and the Tibetans were advised by India to settle the matter peacefully, whatever that was supposed to mean. The fact of the matter was India had absolutely no clue as to how the situation should be handled.
