209. Telegram From the Embassy in India to the Department of State1
25695. Subj: Ambassador’s Farewell Call on PM. Ref: State 322465.2
1. (C–Entire text)
2. I regret that I was unable to turn my farewell call on Mrs. Gandhi into other than a ceremonial 15 minutes. She was gracious in manner, but not at all disposed to discuss issues, and at the end of a quarter hour it was made clear that my allotted time had been consumed. (As usual the outer office of her Parliament House suite was teeming with people waiting to see her both when I arrived and when I left.)
3. For my remarks, I followed the approach outlined in reftel, but ran out of time before getting to the regional3 at the bequest of the Polish Prime Minister. This appears to have been the extent of the discussion of Poland in Brezhnev’s and Mrs. Gandhi’s first meeting.
4. I took the opportunity of the call to present to her personally Senator Percy’s letter which had arrived by cable this morning.4 I had hoped she might read it and that that might provide the basis for further discussion. Unfortunately that was not in her scenario, but the Percy letter seems to me to make the necessary points about Poland, Afghanistan and India’s role better than I could and with much more authority. I am confident it will get her close attention.
- Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D800586–0833. Confidential; Immediate. Sent for information to Moscow and Islamabad.↩
- Telegram 322465 to New Delhi, December 5, suggested that in his meeting with Gandhi, Goheen should emphasize the importance of Indo-U.S. relations, allay Gandhi’s suspicions about U.S. policies and motives, and reiterate the talking points that were prepared for Goheen’s December 5 meeting with Rao (see footnote 2, Document 208). (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D800582–0474)↩
- Omission in the original. According to telegram 327480 to multiple posts, December 11, which was a repeat of telegram 25695 from New Delhi, the missing text is: “security issues. She was very uncommunicative about her talks with Brezhnev yesterday. Under questioning, she said she had raised with him reports that the USSR had been marshalling forces on Poland’s border. Brezhnev, she said, replied that reports were not correct; maneuvers there had been planned, but now were postponed.” (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D800589–0685)↩
- Telegram 324878 to New Delhi, December 8, transmitted Percy’s undated message to Gandhi, in which he discussed his recent high-level talks in Moscow. Percy urged Gandhi: “It would strengthen the hands of all of us who are friends of India, and I do believe it would bring to you the respect and gratitude of the entire free world if you would, while pursuing bilateral interests which are to the advantage of India and consistent with your friendship treaty with the Soviet Union, take a very strong position with President Brezhnev on Poland and Afghanistan.” (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D800585–0739)↩