94. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the Presidentand the Ambassador to Pakistan (Rountree), Washington, April 25, 1960, 8:45 a.m.1
SUBJECT
- Call by Ambassador Rountree on the President
The President began by saying that he had talked with Ambassador Bunker and Ambassador Byroade about some of the difficulties in the South Asian area.2 He had gained the impression from Ambassador Bunker that relations between India and Pakistan were in general improved, although there were strains particularly concerning Kashmir. The President emphasized the importance of continuing the favorable trend in this relationship. He thought the United States position in India was satisfactory, but the problems of the area emphasized the need for continued substantial American aid. Indeed, the needs for foreign assistance were far greater than the United States could meet.
Mr. Rountree spoke of the generally improved atmosphere in Indo-Pakistan relations, but told the President of his fear that continued refusal on the part of India to discuss Kashmir might soon result in a reversal of the recent trend. He reported his recent conversation with President Ayub, in the course of which the latter expressed great concern in this connection. He mentioned the status of the Indus Waters negotiations and expressed the hope that this matter could be resolved satisfactorily which would do much for the general relationship between the countries.
[Here follows discussion of the Pushtunistan dispute and U.S.-Pakistani relations. For the portion covering Pushtunistan, see footnote 4, Document 166.]
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, DDE Diaries. Confidential; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Rountree.↩
- Ambassadors Rountree, Bunker, and Byroade were in Washington for consultations. A memorandum of the President’s discussion with Byroade on April 23 is printed as Document 166. A memorandum of Eisenhower’s conversation with Bunker on April 25 is printed as Document 256.↩