Office of the Historian

204. Backchannel Message From the Ambassador to Pakistan (Farland) to the Presidentʼs Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)1

Islamabad, November 26, 1971, 0749Z.

[number not declassified] 1. Met with Yahya 0930 hours local this morning.2 In conversation judiciously drew from info contained your wire of the 24th.3 Specifically assured Yahya that President is personally involved in all aspects of the problem.

2. Yahya is continuing to exercise maximum restraint, but expressed regretfully that there was limit thereto in event India renews [Page 565] attacks. Immediately bought my suggestion that he ask for UN observers on Pak side of border even though none stationed on Indian side.

3. If tilt towards Pakistan becomes evident, and as further proof of GOIʼs military aggression becomes public, you might wish consider cut-off of military spare parts to India as evidence even-handed policy in subcontinent.

  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 426, Backchannel Files, Backchannel Messages, 1971, Amb. Farland, Pakistan. Top Secret. Received at 10:40 a.m.↩
  2. This conversation was also reported to the Department of State in telegram 11696 from Islamabad, November 26. (Ibid., RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL INDIA—PAK)↩
  3. Document 201.↩