Office of the Historian

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

Washington, December 17, 1955–1:41 p.m.

1292. For Hildreth from Allen. Ambassador Mohammed Ali read me circular instruction from GOP today asking for public statements by friendly powers, particularly US and UK, refuting Khrushchev statement on Kashmir.2 I pointed out that statements emanating from Washington or London at this moment would put Kashmir issue into East-West cold war context and enable Nehru to allege that Pakistan was pressing Kashmir case in interests of Western imperialism. As case stands, Khrushchev intervention has weakened GOI position since Nehru can be pictured as working for Soviet interests in Kashmir whereas Pakistan rests its case solely on intrinsic merits of issue. I wondered if GOP wanted us to help Nehru off this hook.

Ali seemed convinced and when I showed him statement you planned to make (Karachi’s 1125 December 14)3 he expressed fullest concurrence and said he thought this would take care of situation completely.

Hoover
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 690D.91/12—1455. Secret; Priority. Repeated to London, New Delhi, and Moscow.↩
  2. A memorandum of this conversation, drafted by Collins on December 17, is ibid., 033.6190D/12—1755.↩
  3. This statement, released to the press on December 14, reads as follows:

    “In reply to widespread inquiries of me as to the effect of recent statements in Kashmir by visiting Soviet officials upon the position of the United States, it appears timely to recall the position of the US on this issue despite the fact that it has often been publicly stated.

    “The position of the US is based on the interest of all members of the UN to see the Kashmir dispute settled peacefully; and in the case of the US, in particular, on its most earnest desire to see the two great states of the sub-continent cooperate to assure their mutual peace, security and prosperity.

    “The basis of the US position is that the question of the accession of Kashmir to India or Pakistan should be decided through a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the UN. This was stated by the US representative in the Security Council on December 5, 1952. It still stands.” (Telegram 1125 from Karachi, December 14; ibid., 690D.91/12—1455)

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