Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XXV, South Asia

167. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Pakistan ¹

Washington, August 10, 1965, 9:48 a.m.

163. Embtel 193.² We are in full agreement your view that restored communication with Ayub at earliest moment is essential to get Paks clearly to see risks to their own interests that their current public campaign against us is creating. However in war of nerves Ayub has chosen to wage, it clearly also important we not appear be succumbing to pressure tactics he using against us.

Therefore we believe for present it best you defer making formal request for appointment, leaving your previous request for appointment on the record and allowing time for countervailing pressures of kind you and we are seeking stimulate hopefully begin having some effect on Ayub’s public stance.

For our part, after weighing several alternative courses action here, we have concluded we should concentrate for moment on asking U.K. to help us to get through to Ayub, since visit of neither George Woods nor Eugene Black is presently in the cards. Therefore we plan call in British Ambassador in next day or two to suggest HMG make renewed effort try to get Ayub to see seriousness present situation and encourage him to take steps necessary to break current impasse.³ We want to convey through this channel that: (a) we will not succumb to pressure campaign of kind Ayub has mounted against us; (b) only way this can be straightened out is if GOP stops public criticism and anti-U.S. campaign and climate is created for better talks; and (c) that there is standing invitation for Ayub to come here in early fall and this could be dusted off and moved up if Ayub were disposed come here for Presidential talks. Our plans with British should not be revealed to U.K. Hicom.

FYI. Ambassador Goldberg has expressed to Amjad Ali our concern over current GOP tactics. We also envisage calling in Ambassador Ahmed again soon. End FYI.

Rusk

1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL PAK-US. Secret; Immediate; Limdis. Drafted by Laingen on August 9; cleared by Handley, Macomber in AID/NESA, Judd in BNA, and Komer; and approved and initialed by Rusk. Repeated to New Delhi and London.
2. Summarized in Document 165.
3. Rusk had a conversation along these lines on August 13 with Ambassador Sir Patrick Dean. (Telegram 834 to London, August 13; National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL PAK-US)