Nepal: A Neutral Cockpit

This is the time of year in Nepal, the small kingdom perched in the Himalayas between India and China, when mountain goats, buffaloes and chickens are slaughtered to appease the Hindu gods and ensure good fortune for the coming twelve months. Nepal's King Mahendra, 47, is himself revered by his 10 million subjects as a god incarnate, but he does not trust his kingdom's fate entirely to heavenly hands. This week he was off to Washington to see Lyndon Johnson, in the hope that the coming year will bring an ample number of gifts stamped "Made in U.S.A." Accompanied by...

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