44. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the President and the Secretary of State, Washington, January 22, 1957, 11:34 a.m.1
The Pres wanted to make sure that 10 tomorrow was all right for them to talk, and the Sec said fine.
The Sec mentioned Kashmir—we are trying to take a moderate course that will probably not please either side. The Sec wondered how close the Pres wanted to keep to it. The Pres mentioned when Nehru was here he forgot India blocked the plebiscite and said N’s understanding is the Pakistan PM stated he himself was ready to accept the existing lines but that he could not say it. If the UN came along and adopted it they would adopt it. The Pres said what is in the papers makes this not true. It may have been he hoped we would press for that. The Pres does not know whether we can keep hands off. The Sec said his theory is they would be swayed by religious appeals and not vote their political convictions. The Sec said the Indians took steps to integrate on the 26th of Jan the whole business. The Pres said Pakistan had ? of the territory and ¼ of the population and were willing to see that go into Pakistan (India?) holdings. This would violate the UN res. We are working with the British on a resolution and the Sec referred to the substance of it. The Pres said Nehru weakens his case badly but he is insistent on one thing—if they build the boundaries along religious lines, he is in a hole. There is some justice on Nehru’s side that does not appear on the surface. The Sec agreed but the trouble is that the Pakis think [Page 118] that position strikes at the existence of Pakistan—they are trying to undo Pakistan. The Pres mentioned the Sec’s writing to Nehru whatever the attitude we take and saying he felt this was the best way not to worsen the situation and he talked with the Pres about it. He recognizes his difficulties and knows there are elements of justice which do not appear in the record. We are concerned re the situation.2
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers. White House Telephone Conversations. Drafted by Phyllis D. Bernau.↩
- In a telephone conversation with Under Secretary Hoover the previous day, Secretary Dulles stated that the United States could give Pakistan greater help in the United Nations. India was violating U.N. resolutions and recommendations, the Secretary noted, and he indicated that he hoped to talk with Lodge at the President’s inauguration, that day, about the Kashmir problem. (Memorandum of conversation, drafted in the office of the Secretary of State, January 21, 1957; ibid., General Telephone Conversations)↩