43. Memorandum From Robert W. Komer of the National Security Council Staff to President Kennedy0
SUBJECT
- Presidential Message to King Zahir
State believes that the time has come to bring your prestige to bear in the potentially dangerous Afghanistan-Pakistan dispute, initially by a [Page 99] letter to King Zahir. Naim’s visit to Moscow lends new urgency to this move.
I have certain reservations as to the wisdom of engaging you personally in repeating a plea for the Afghans to reopen transit trade which Byroade made successively to Naim and Daud, with turndowns from both. However, I defer to the State experts who feel that the chief impact to be sought at this juncture is the fact of your intervention itself, and that we should avoid premature revealing of any further moves we contemplate. Your letter would also serve as a peg for a presentation by Byroade.
State’s intent is to start a dialogue. They feel Zahir will reply in effect that they want to reopen transit but cannot do so unless the Pakistanis reopen trade agencies, etc. Then State hopes you could write Ayub, telling him of the Afghans’ reply and urging him to do so. (Meanwhile, we are informing Ayub of your personal concern over the crisis and the letter to Zahir.)1
I recommend that you approve State’s draft, but bear in mind that quite a [lot of] correspondence may be required if our “good offices” are to succeed. Both sides are playing for our intervention on their behalf. Neither is willing to give as yet, so the thankless job of suggesting a way out and selling it will probably be ours.
State feels the sooner we get the letter out the better, so request immediate approval.
- Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Afghanistan, Subjects, King Zahir Correspondence, 1961-1963. No classification marking. Rostow noted on the source text that he concurred, and Kennedy initialed his approval.↩
- See Document 46.↩