Office of the Historian

291. Message From the Soviet Leadership to President Nixon1

Moscow, December 13, 1971.

We have attentively examined your message2 over the direct communications link. In accordance with the confidential exchange of opinions existing between us, we are advising you that at the present time, we are conducting a clarification of all the circumstances in India.

We will inform you of the results of the clarification without delay.

  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 492, Presidentʼs Trip Files, Dobrynin/Kissinger, 1971, Vol. 8. Top Secret; Sensitive, Special Category. A handwritten note on the message indicates it was received at 5 a.m. Haig transmitted the text of this hot line message to Kissinger at 7:37 a.m. in telegram WH 11131 to Lajes in the Azores. Haig observed about the message: “Obviously we are still in a holding pattern.” (Ibid., Box 643, Country Files, Middle East, India/Pakistan)↩
  2. Document 286.↩