Office of the Historian

103. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Pakistan1

Washington, December 3, 1955—3:57 p.m.

1189. Embtel 1036.2 Please convey at your discretion following to Governor General and Prime Minister:

Department is surprised that Governor General and Prime Minister have any question in their minds re U.S. attitude on Pak-Afghan frontier. We have had no intention at any time to cast doubt on definitive nature of frontier delineating territory over which GOP exercised jurisdiction at time of our recognition of Pak in 1947 and would not support direct Pak-Afghan talks if we thought such talks would jeopardize Pak territorial integrity. Afghan Ambassador in Washington has assured Department many times on behalf his [Page 204] government that Afghans have no designs on Pak territory and it is on this basis that we support direct talks.

Department hopes following communication foregoing assurances to GOP, it will be willing move forward rapidly bring about direct meeting with Afghans on lines set forth first para. Deptel 1158.3 We agree with Prime Minister that meeting may produce few concrete results but we would expect that GOP would make responsible and statesmanlike effort achieve successful outcome. If GOP willing take this approach to meeting we believe it would further common U.S.-Pakistan objectives in Afghanistan.

Re Mirza’s request that US assist in getting talks started we should be glad be as helpful as possible and are willing indicate to Afghans our support for talks.4

Dulles
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 689.90D/12–255. Secret. Drafted and approved by Allen. Repeated to Kabul, London, Tehran, Ankara, and Lahore.↩
  2. See footnote 4, Document 101.↩
  3. Document 101.↩
  4. In telegram 1080 from Karachi, December 8, Ambassador Hildreth reported that in a brief conference with the Pakistani Prime Minister he conveyed the essence of the above message. The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction with the U.S. position and indicated that he was willing to discuss future betterment of the Pushtun people on both sides of the Durand Line if this would be possible without impugning Pakistan’s sovereignty. (Department of State, Central Files, 689.90D/12–855)↩