157. Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between President Nixon and the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)1 2
Mr. Kissinger/The President
K: Mr. President.
P: Henry anything going on today?
[Omitted here is conversation unrelated to South Asia.]
P: I noticed with interest the Pakistanis claim they are doing pretty well and I would like the Indians to be embarrassed.
K: The Indians have pulled off on this one but they are going to have to come back . . . Keating finally delivered the message and they are all over him. What we should do with the arms is wait until they make another military move.
P: Pakistan provocation . . . I saw that they admitted it they were in there...
K: Oh yes, they admitted it. The New York Times wrote a scorcher against India.
P: Did you talk to the Times and tell them that was the case?
K: Yes I talked to _______(?) I said if anyone is to blame for the war it is by following your advice. Cutting off aid to Pakistan. . .
[Page 2]P: Well and the thing is novel—it is the point I have been making and I hope you pushed it on Pakistan that we cut off their aid because of their internal conduct not for their external conduct. So we cut off aid and India busts into Pakistan and that is worse. Was it a strong editorial?
K: Oh yes, Mrs. Gandhi has betrayed her father.
P: Of course her father was just as bad as she is. What she said was so unconscionable and the Pakistanis were so prefabricated. Oh the Pakistan thing you feel no action on the arms thing should be taken.
K: I think as soon as military action starts again we should cut off aid.
P: I still want Connally, State and Hannah to say nothing is being moved into the economic aid pipeline into India. Are they riding herd on this? They will get the message.
K: Oh no question. We are just not saying anything. We are not signing the PL 480 and we won’t say what the reason is for. The Chinese—I told them you can’t just say you are against the Indians and you better tell the Pakistanis what you are going to do. Do it independently and show them the resolution you are putting forth... We are going pretty far in condemning India. . . You talked with Heath.
[Omitted here is conversation unrelated to South Asia.]
- Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 370, Telephone Conversations, Chronological File, 24–30 November 1971. No classification marking. The omissions are in the original transcript.↩
- Nixon and Kissinger discussed the fighting in East Pakistan. Nixon said he “would like the Indians to be embarrassed.”↩