L’AFFAIRE ASHLEY TELLIS

United States President Donald Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden, who have been accused of illegally possessing classified and top-secret government documents, have got away because they hold or held high office. Not every American is that powerful, privileged and lucky.

A new accused is an Indian-American. Mumbaikars may not be familiar with Dr Ashley J. Tellis, a prominent foreign affairs analyst. Mumbai-born, he attended the city’s St. Xavier’s College and earned his M.A. from Bombay University. Moving to America four decades ago, he earned his PhD and has served in various capacities with different US administrations. He also holds the Tata Chair at the Carnegie Foundation.

A well-known figure in New Delhi’s “think tank” community, Tellis has been arrested for unauthorised removal and possession of the American Government’s classified or top-secret documents and, allegedly, passing them to China.

The trial has begun, and he has got bail. Whatever its outcome, when viewed from the Indian prism, it must be stated that Tellis had made a significant contribution to the Indo-US civil nuclear deal. It was difficult, as there was opposition to it in both countries. Many in the US feared a “nuclear India”, and many Indians, too, opposed it for ideological reasons because it came from the US. After it was stalled in India, Dr Manmohan Singh staked his government’s future and pushed it through a precarious no-confidence parliamentary vote.

Tellis was the Special Assistant to the US Ambassador to India, Robert Blackwill, during a crucial period of the Indo-US relations. From the 9/11 events to the US invasion of Afghanistan and, later, Iraq. New Delhi was a nerve-centre for these and many related developments. Tellis helped with that reach-out. The Indo-US rapport at that time was so good that Blackwill had multiple farewells from the government, including several influential non-government bodies.

As in any country, in the US, too, charges concerning possession of secret documents, and if sent into foreign hands, are a serious matter. Many top officials have been charged and punished. Some suffer due to the change in the administration, and are subjected to witch-hunting.

Intensive media glare has ruined many careers. Also, allegations are made for political gain. They die down after a period and may recur. Like the charges of Russian ‘interference’, bandied around in the recent American presidential elections.

America witnessed “McCarthyism” in the last century when many prominent citizens were accused of being communists or “fellow-travellers”. Alleging “CIA hand”, a frequent occurrence during the Cold War era in many countries, including India, remains so today.

Of the incidents that have occurred in India, one of them was in 1984, when classified documents found their way to foreign embassies. A retired army general was punished, and the principal secretary to the prime minister of the day had to resign. In another, a key Indian intelligence official escaped to the country that had allegedly received the top-secret information from him.

As for Tellis, his meetings and dinners with the Chinese, his alleged giving them those documents, have been recorded by American intelligence. If convicted, he faces up to ten years’ imprisonment.

Geoffrey Scott of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has, in an affidavit, described Tellis, a “naturalised American citizen”, as “currently an unpaid Senior Advisor at the Department of State. Additionally, he is a contractor in the Office of Net Assessment (ONA) within the Department of Defence (DOD). In his role with ONA, he is considered a subject matter expert on India and South Asian affairs. Additionally, he is currently employed as a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.”

Details of his two meetings with the Chinese officials at a restaurant in Fairfax have been given, as well as of the searches at his home. But the affidavit charges Tellis only with “Unlawful retention of national defence information.” When scrutinised, it does not make any specific charge on the Chinese connection. It may be that evidence has not been found or is just a red herring to strengthen the case, as the US government has not so far been able to figure out a motive.

The Iranian-Chinese relations and the US-Pakistan relations were among some topics that Tellis and the Chinese officials were allegedly overheard talking about. The affidavit specifically points to a meeting on September 15, 2022: “Tellis entered the restaurant with a manila envelope”, which “did not appear to be in his possession when he departed”.

On the face of it, his behaviour seems strange. He downloaded — and even asked a co-worker to copy — documents that didn’t seem to relate to his area of specialisation. He renamed files to innocuous names, and while there were security cameras around, he hid the papers with notebooks that he took with him.

Tellis has cooperated with the investigators, providing access to his data and documents in his office and at home. His fingerprints were used to access the data, and he handed over the keys to the drawers storing documents.

His lawyers have said they “will vigorously contest” the charges, specifically contesting any insinuation of his operating on behalf of a foreign adversary.”

The China angle has, nevertheless, generated cautious interest among some Indian analysts, who have warned that the Indian authorities should stay alert.

Unsurprisingly, the Tellis issue has caused some debate on India’s domestic front. Amit Malviya, the head of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) IT cell, has pointed out that Tellis, often cited and praised by India’s opposition parties, frequently spoke against the country in what he described as “coordinated efforts to undermine India’s strategic interests.”

This may be explained by the fact that Tellis’s opinions, expressed from time to time, are supportive of Washington and not always flattering to India. His paper, published in August this year, criticises India’s insistence on exercising autonomy and concludes that this makes India “less reliable” as a US ally.

Tellis is an American citizen, and since the issue is sensitive and the Indo-US ties are undergoing a serious phase, it would be best to leave this to be decided by the American court.