Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, East Asian Security; Cambodia; Laos, Volume XXI

90. Telegram From the Delegation at the SEATO Council Meeting to the Department of State¹

Karachi, March 8, 1956—6 a.m.

Secto 16. Verbatim text Secretary’s statement on Durand Line and Kashmir at Third Session SEATO Meeting March 7 follows:

“Mr. Chairman, on the matter of the statements which have been made by the Soviet rulers on their visits here, I expressed myself in my opening remarks at the closed session yesterday. I did not, indeed await coming to this SEATO Meeting to express myself on the evil tactics of the Soviet rulers in attempting to stir up hatreds and animosity on their trip to South Asia. I spoke publicly on that matter while they were still in the area and I think that their tactics deserve the condemnation of all decent people who want to see goodwill rather than animosity govern the relations of mankind.

With respect to the concrete matters which have been raised here, in the first instance by the Pakistan delegation I would like to say that as far as the boundary between Pakistan and Afghanistan is concerned, the United States has never doubted that the sovereignty of Pakistan extends to the Durand Line. We regarded this as the international frontier between Pakistan and Afghanistan at the time when we entered into diplomatic relations with Pakistan in 1947. The Foreign Minister of Pakistan, speaking yesterday, reminds us that the Soviet rulers take a different view as to this frontier.

I quite agree with what the delegation of Pakistan has said this morning as to the effect of the importance of avoiding any ambiguities or misunderstandings and possible miscalculations on the part of those who may be hostile to the purposes and principles of our treaty, and as far as the United States is concerned, we would regard it as appropriate to make it quite clear that the treaty area as defined in Article 4 and Article 8 of our treaty includes, so far as Pakistan is concerned, the area up to the Durand Line.

Now, on the other matter, the matter of the Kashmir, I recall that the United States Ambassador to Pakistan, speaking on December 14 of 1955, and after alluding to recent Soviet statements on Kashmir, said: ‘The basis of the United States position is that the question of the accession of Kashmir to India or Pakistan should be decided through a free and impartial plebiscite under United Nations auspices. This was stated by the United States Representative in the Security Council on December 5, 1952, and it still stands.’ That is the end of the quotation of the statement by the United States Ambassador made on December 14, 1955.² I can add, speaking today, that that position still stands as the position of the United States.”

Dulles

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 396.1–KA/3–856. Confidential.
2. For text of the statement, see footnote 3, vol. VIII, p. 61.