Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XI, South Asia Crisis, 1971

317. Memorandum for the Record¹

Washington, December 16, 1971.

Shortly after 10:00 a.m. this morning General Haig called on the secure line to say the following:

The President wishes Mr. Sisco to call in Indian Ambassador Jha immediately. Sisco should make the following three points forcefully.

1. With respect to Indiaʼs earlier refusal to give assurances that it had no territorial ambitions without similar assurances from Pakistan, we are now giving him Pak assurances of no territorial ambitions. We wish to know immediately that India has no territorial ambitions on its side.

2. Now that East Pakistan has fallen, there can be no justification for continued fighting. If fighting continues, it will “have the most drastic consequences on U.S.-Indian relations.” (Haig commented that we should be no more specific than that.)

3. We consider it intolerable for the Indian Ambassador to use our media as a platform to make attacks on the U.S. Government.²

RHM
Deputy Executive Secretary

1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, NEA Files: Lot 73 D 69, Miscellaneous— SOA 1971. Secret; Nodis.
2. Sisco called in Ambassador Jha on December 16 as instructed and made the points outlined by Haig. The telegram reporting the conversation to New Delhi indicates, however, that Sisco took note of a press report received that India had proposed a cease-fire on the western front. Rather than convey the warning that continued fighting would impact upon U.S.-Indian relations, Sisco asked for conformation of the proposed cease-fire. (Telegram 226062 to New Delhi, December 16; ibid., Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 578, Indo-Pak War, India Chronology, Dr Kissinger)