10. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Pakistan 0

1533. Deliver following message President Ayub, advising date time delivery:

[Page 25]

“March 11, 1961

Dear Mr. President:

I appreciate your letter of February 151 which was handed to me by Finance Minister Shoaib on March 7. I like its plain speaking and directness. This is not a time when problems should be obscured by friendly generalities. I agree with you that the force of communism has the ‘fixed and unshakable aim of world conquest and domination through whatever means might be considered effective in any given set of circumstances—subversion, instigation or aggression.’ As I see it, this is the force which we must stop throughout the free world and weaken within the Sino-Soviet bloc itself. I can assure you that the United States has the determination to do this.

I was interested in your analysis of the resentment felt in some underdeveloped regions—feelings which have become crystalized against the Western powers, particularly the United States. As you know, the United States is not a colonial power and there are not many colonial powers, at least as usually defined by history, left in the world. More often than not, demagogues whip this dead or dying horse for their own ends, and are prompted to do so by those with sinister motives. Most colonial areas, again using their historical definition, are well on the road to being decolonialized, and in most cases are being materially assisted by the West in the process. It is not too difficult to foresee a period when the only territories left that can be described as colonialized will be the Sino-Soviet satellites and the Chinese Communist and Soviet provinces, in the Central Asian Muslim areas and elsewhere.

I know that I need not reaffirm the friendship which we in the United States feel toward the people of Pakistan. Our common goals, and our mutual understanding of the motivations of anti-western forces serve only to strengthen the ties of friendship between our two countries. The United States is seeking world peace with justice for all nations and it will continue to do so. Fortunately, we have friends and allies, such as Pakistan, who are pursuing the same ends.

I want you to know how helpful and informative my conversations with Mr. Shoaib and Ambassador Ahmed were, supplementing as they did your very thoughtful letter.

Mrs. Kennedy and I look forward with much pleasure to seeing you in November. Meanwhile, I hope you will not hesitate to write me whenever you consider it useful. For my part, I find these exchanges most helpful and shall continue to keep in touch with you on matters of common concern.

With warm personal regards,

[Page 26]

Sincerely, John F. Kennedy

White House desires text this message not become public. Signed original being pouched.

Rusk
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.90D/3-1561. Confidential; Priority; Limit Distribution; Verbatim Text. Drafted by G. Lewis Jones, cleared by Dungan (White House) and in draft by Office of Soviet Union Affairs Director McSweeney, and approved in S/S by Walter J. Stoessel.
  2. See Document 6.