179. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in India1
106274. NSC for Dr. Brzezinski. Subject: Governor Harriman’s Meeting With Indira Gandhi, April 17.
1. (C) Entire text.
2. On April 17, Governor Harriman met in Salisbury with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at her request.2 Mrs. Gandhi remained silent, so Governor Harriman began the meeting by recalling his own long [Page 472] and friendly relationship with India. At the time of the Chinese attack in 1962 upon India, he had gone to India to offer American support and weapons. Times had now obviously changed; however, the American Government wished to improve its relations with India. In that regard, he had a personal message from President Carter to Mrs. Gandhi3 which expressed the hope that the discussions begun in India recently by Clark Clifford should be continued.
3. Mrs. Gandhi responded that she was all for the continuation of the discussions; however, India continues to believe that “the U.S. has a tilt against India.” Asked to be specific, Mrs. Gandhi smiled and declined to go into detail other than to note that the improvement in Chinese-American relations did not concern India particularly. Harriman stated that we were discussing with the Chinese their improving relations with India and during the recent visit of Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Zwang,4 he indicated their desire to do so.
4. On Afghanistan, Governor Harriman said he wished to assure Mrs. Gandhi that, contrary to what the Soviets had charged, the U.S. was not involved in Afghanistan and had had no connection whatsoever with the forces which had been opposing the Afghan regime prior to the Soviet intervention. The U.S. would favor the neutralization of Afghanistan. The Soviets have practically no support in the country.
5. In reply, Mrs. Gandhi exclaimed, “But how do they get rid of the present government?” (Comment: At several points in the conversation, Mrs. Gandhi who had requested the meeting, appeared to be on the verge of a frank discussion of Afghanistan. Each time, however, she pulled back and became wary, perhaps due to the presence in the room of the Foreign Minister and two aides as well as an American notetaker. End comment.)
6. Mrs. Gandhi continued that the Afghans are a fiercely patriotic people. They do not like outsiders. The Soviets claim that infiltration from Pakistan and Iran keeps the rebellion going. The Soviets tell her that if this outside intervention can be stopped, they will withdraw their troops. Mrs. Gandhi said realistically the Soviets will not tolerate a country unfriendly to them on this part of their border. It would generate unrest in their own Asian republics.
7. Mrs. Gandhi assured Governor Harriman that what she was saying to him, she had also said to Gromyko. However, she commented when a country is concerned with its own national interests, it doesn’t care what people say to or about it.
[Page 473]8. Governor Harriman suggested that we wished India would take the lead in working out some solution. We had been interested in her proposal some time ago that the country be neutral. We would favor U.N. troops replacing Soviet troops consisting of perhaps Indian, Indonesian, and Algerian forces. Now that the Europeans were promoting the idea, it does not seem to be making any progress. It would have been better if the Indians had pursued it. Mrs. Gandhi smiled, but did not appear to want to discuss the proposal.
9. Asked for her support on Iran, Mrs. Gandhi described it as “a terrible situation.” No one seemed to be running the country. She appeared sympathetic, although non-committal, about Bani-Sadr’s efforts to solve the crisis.
10. On Pakistan, Mrs. Gandhi said that her government was trying to improve relations and pointed to the recent trip to Islamabad of the former Indian Foreign Minister. Note: At the Zimbabwean President’s luncheon reception on April 18, General Zia introduced himself to Harriman and had a ten-minute talk. Zia stated that there were practically no Communists and no supporters of the Soviets in Afghanistan. The tribesmen desperately need arms (anti aircraft and anti tank weapons particularly). He said Pakistan did not have any weapons to spare, implying that we should supply them. The tribesmen would be brutally butchered during the summer months unless they got weapons promptly. He told Harriman that he had seen Madame Gandhi and they had had a cordial discussion. No other U.S.-Afghan topics came up.
11. Asked if she had any message for the President, Mrs. Gandhi replied she had nothing in particular other than to extend her best wishes to the President and especially to his mother. On relations, she added, “we are in touch. You have Mr. Goheen in India.” Harriman met Mrs. Gandhi at two subsequent receptions. She was cordial and told him that she had an engagement to meet General Zia.
- Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P870108–0332. Confidential; Immediate; Nodis. Sent for information Immediate to Islamabad. Sent for information to Moscow, Kabul, and the White House. Drafted by Robert C. Frasure (S/S–S), cleared in S/S–O and by Harriman (in draft) and Raphel; approved by Seitz. The telegram was repeated for information Immediate to Beijing, April 29.↩
- Telegram 1538 from Lusaka, April 14, conveyed Gandhi’s request through the Indian High Commissioner to Zambia to meet with Harriman in Salisbury, where, she had been informed, he was to head the U.S. delegation to the Zimbabwe independence ceremony. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D800187–0078)↩
- Not found.↩
- Reference is to Chinese Deputy Foreign Minster Zang Wen Jin.↩