ODA files, lot 62 D 225, “Trust Territory of Pacific Islands”
Memorandum for the Files, by Charles D. Withers of the Office of Dependent Area Affairs
- Subject:
- Indian Move on Nuclear Tests in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
(Background: New Delhi’s Telegram 3361 said that a memorandum incorporating the substance of paragraphs “g” and “h” of Department’s CA–13682 on disarmament and the nuclear tests had been included in a memorandum and given to the Government of India. In as much as New Delhi was omitted from the list of missions instructed to present an aide-mémoire to their Government on these two items, we requested the Embassy to telegraph the text of the memorandum given [Page 1530] to the GOI. New Delhi’s 357 informed the Department that the text of the pertinent paragraphs of CA–1368, with certain language changes, had been handed to Natarajan, Deputy Secretary for UN Affairs, GOI Ministry of External Affairs).
In a discussion today with Mr. Meyers of UNP, it was agreed that no special instruction would be sent at present to New Delhi directing the Chargé d’Affaires to seek an appointment with Nehru for the purpose of explaining our position, consistent with security factors on the nuclear test issue should it arise. Instead, it was agreed that the Delegation would attempt to find out in New York what, if any, steps the Indians proposed to take in the matter and that if there were a clear indication that the Indians in fact expected to bring up the matter, the Department would then instruct the Embassy in New Delhi to contact Nehru. It was agreed that such an approach at the present time might defeat our objective and that it would be better to wait and see what, if any, effect the Embassy’s memorandum left with the GOI would have on India’s thinking.