690D.91/1–2852: Telegram

The Ambassador in Pakistan (Warren) to the Department of State1

secret

780. Deptel 688, Jan 25[24]. Whatever motive or motives may have been behind Soviet intervention in the Kashmir problem, Emb concurs in Dept’s belief PriMin is wrong in seeing possibility that Russia intends playing a constructive role in South Asia. Moreover, we find little or no support for this thesis in FonOff or among public.

Even in case of PriMin himself I am not sure his analysis as reported in my 745, Jan 21 is a reasoned and final one. As I remarked in reftel, PriMin seemed “confused and dismayed” and it is quite possible that he may come around eventually to some other interpretation of the Russian move. Consequently, I feel any re-examination of GOP–USSR relations in light of PriMin’s statement shld await further conversations with him. He is now in East Pakistan and will not return to Karachi until end of this week.

Having not recd the text of Malik’s speech from Dept, I am unable to discuss with the PriMin Malik’s ref to a Kashmir “Consembly” or Vishinsky’s statement to Zafrulla that the ref was to a yet-to-be-elected assembly. The Karachi Civil and Military Gazette claims to have obtained full text of Malik’s statement as published by Pravda and deduces therefrom that Malik’s remarks were deliberately distorted by AP and Reuters. It wld be useful to know on what the Dept bases its conclusion that Malik referred to the present Consembly.

Warren
  1. This telegram was repeated for information to London and Paris.