Bangladesh, December 1971–December 1972
Introductory Note
During the course of the crisis on the subcontinent in 1971, United States officials in Calcutta and New Delhi met periodically with representatives of the provisional government of Bangladesh. The aspiring government sought de facto recognition from the United States and looked to the United States to facilitate negotiations with the Pakistani Government on issues such as the release of Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Documentation on these contacts is printed in Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, volume XI, South Asia Crisis, 1971.
[Page 1]403. Telegram 689 From the Consulate General in Dacca to the Department of State
Consul General Spivack relayed a request from Bangladesh Foreign Minister Samad for a statement of U.S. intentions with regard to Bangladesh. His Government wanted to know what to expect in regard to recognition and whether the interests of Bangladesh would be subordinated to those of Pakistan by the United States. He asked for a response before his impending trip to the Soviet Union and he intimated that the status of the Consulate General depended upon the reply.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL BANGLADESH–US. Secret; Immediate; Niact; Exdis. Repeated to Islamabad and New Delhi.
404. Telegram 33181 From the Department of State to the Consulate General in Dacca
Consul General Spivack was again instructed to go no further on the question of recognition than to indicate that the issue would be addressed after President Nixon returned from China. Spivack was further instructed to assure Bangladesh Foreign Minister Samad that the United States was well disposed toward Bangladesh and would continue to respond to requests for humanitarian assistance.
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 591, Country Files, Middle East, Bangladesh. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Also sent to Peking for Rogers as Tosec 122. Drafted by Van Hollen, cleared by Constable, Sisco, Saunders, and Haig, and approved by Acting Secretary Johnson. Repeated to the White House, Islamabad, and New Delhi.
405. Telegram 722 From the Consulate General in Dacca to the Department of State
Consul General Spivack reported that he met with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Samad and, as instructed, informed him that the question of recognition would have to await President Nixon’s decision after his return from China. Samad remained concerned about the status of the Consulate General and whether its mission was to further U.S. relations with Pakistan or Bangladesh. He also expressed concern about the treatment of representatives of Bangladesh in the United States.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL BANGLADESH–US. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Repeated to Islamabad and New Delhi.
406. Telegram 770 From the Consulate General in Dacca to the Department of State
Consul General Spivack cabled that he felt that “we are approaching the limits of tolerance of GOBD in matter of continued operation of this post without US recognition of BD.” He suggested that a decision on recognition be conveyed to the Bangladesh Government by March 9th in order “to do what we intend to do without appearing to be forced into it by GOBD action.”
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 591, Country Files, Middle East, Bangladesh. Secret; Priority; Nodis. Saunders sent a copy of this telegram to Haig on March 3 with a covering memorandum in which he suggested that Haig approve an instruction to Spivack to return to Washington for consultation. “The main rationale for bringing him back here would be to gain the time necessary to allow us to recognize only toward the end of March. It seems unlikely that the Bengalis would throw us out if it appeared that we were on the verge of taking a final decision.” Haig returned the memorandum to Saunders with a handwritten note instructing that Spivack be recalled on March 17.
407. Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) and President Nixon
Nixon and Kissinger discussed the timing of recognition of Bangladesh. Nixon said “I am just going to drag my feet on it.” He and Kissinger considered delaying a decision until April.
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 397, Telephone Conversations, Home File, Jan–Apr 1972. No classification marking.
408. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rogers to President Nixon
Rogers recommended the United States recognize Bangladesh on or about March 25.
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–064, SRG Meeting, South Asia, 4/17/72. Secret; Nodis. Saunders sent this memorandum to Kissinger on March 16 under a covering memorandum in which he endorsed Rogers’ recommendation. (Ibid., NSC Files, Box 591, Country Files, Middle East, Bangladesh) The attached draft messages to China and Pakistan are published in approved final form as Documents 414 and 415.
409. Memorandum From Harold Saunders of the NSC Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Saunders recommended that AID be authorized to extend an additional $10–20 million in relief assistance to Bangladesh. President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs Haig approved for Kissinger.
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 591, Country Files, Middle East, Bangladesh. Confidential. Sent for action. Haig signed the approval line for Kissinger. In a March 10 handwritten note, attached to the memorandum and addressed to Jeanne Davis, Saunders wrote that he had informed Williams and Van Hollen of Haig’s approval of the recommendation.
410. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig) to President Nixon
Haig recommended that Nixon approve an additional $35 million contribution in cash through the United Nations for the relief effort in Bangladesh. Nixon approved the recommendation.
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 591, Country Files, Middle East, Bangladesh. Confidential. Sent for action. The memorandum was apparently drafted by Saunders who forwarded it to Haig on March 20 under a covering memorandum. (Ibid.) Haig signed the approval line for the President. For a record of the Senior Review Group’s discussion of South Asia on March 17, see Document 237.
411. Telegram 1019 From the Consulate General in Dacca to the Department of State
The Consulate General reported on the increasing irritation with the United States exhibited by the Government, the media, and the public in Bangladesh. The Consulate General’s concern was that the Government’s patience was wearing thin and it might take action against the US mission.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL BANGLADESH–US. Confidential; Priority; Limdis. Repeated to Islamabad and New Delhi. Prime Ministers Gandhi and Mujibur Rahman met in Calcutta February 6–8. On February 8 they issued a joint declaration summarizing the meetings and stressing the solidarity that existed between the two countries. (The text of the declaration was transmitted to the Department on February 9 in telegram 283 from Calcutta; ibid., POL BANGLADESH–INDIA) Gandhi and Mujibur Rahman subsequently met in Dacca March 18–19, where they signed a mutual defense treaty patterned on the Indo-Soviet treaty of August 1971. (Telegram 3714 from New Delhi, March 24; ibid.)
412. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig) to President Nixon
Haig detailed approximately $100 million in humanitarian assistance committed to Bangladesh by the United States through the United Nations and other international agencies.
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 591, Country Files, Middle East, Bangladesh. No classification marking. Sent for information. A notation on the memorandum indicates the President saw it.
413. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to Secretary of State Rogers
Kissinger informed Rogers that the President had decided that United States recognition of Bangladesh should be announced at the Department of State anytime after April 3.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 16 BANGLADESH. Secret; Nodis.
414. Telegram 55123 From the Department of State to the Embassy in France
The Embassy was instructed to inform the Chinese Ambassador that that the United States intended to recognize Bangladesh on April 4.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL Chicom–US. Secret; Priority; Nodis; Homer. Drafted by Laingen and Van Hollen; cleared by Davies and Sisco, in EA by Deputy Assistant Secretary Winthrop G. Brown, and by Kissinger; and approved by Rogers.
415. Telegram 56144 From the Department of State to the Embassy in Pakistan
Chargé Sober was instructed to inform Pakistani President Bhutto that the United States intended to recognize Bangladesh on April 4.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 16 BANGLADESH. Secret; Priority; Nodis. Drafted by Laingen; cleared by Davies, Sisco, Brown, and Kissinger; and approved by Rogers. Repeated Priority to Dacca and New Delhi
416. Telegram 722 From the Consulate General in Karachi to the Department of State
Chargé Sober reported that he had informed Pakistani President Bhutto about U.S. plans to recognize Bangladesh. Bhutto expressed appreciation that the United States had waited a “reasonable time” before according recognition, and he asked that after recognition the United States provide the majority of its economic assistance to Bangladesh bilaterally.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 16 BANGLADESH. Confidential; Priority; Nodis. Sent with the suggestion that it be passed to Islamabad and other posts as desired.
417. Telegram 56444 From the Department of State to the Consulate General in Dacca
The Consulate General was instructed to inform the Government of Bangladesh of U.S. plans for recognition on April 4. The Consulate General was also instructed to notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Consul General Spivack would be returning on April 7 and would like to meet with Bangladesh Prime Minister Rahman on April 8 to deliver President Nixon’s letter concerning recognition.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 16 BANGLADESH. Confidential; Immediate; Nodis. Drafted by Constable, cleared by Laingen, and approved by Davies. Repeated to Islamabad and New Delhi.
418. Letter From President Nixon to Bangladesh Prime Minister Rahman
Nixon wrote to accord U.S. recognition to Bangladesh.
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 748, Presidential Correspondence File, Bangladesh. No classification marking. The text of the letter was transmitted to Dacca on April 5 in telegram 58480. (Ibid.) Secretary Rogers announced the recognition of Bangladesh at a press briefing on April 4. (Circular telegram 57428 to eight posts in South Asia, Moscow and London, April 4; ibid., RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 16 BANGLADESH) Mujibur Rahman sent a letter to Nixon on April 9 in which he warmly acknowledged the recognition accorded his country. (Telegram 1301 from Dacca, April 13; ibid.) Consul General Spivack was designated Chargé d’ Affaires ad interim of the new Embassy. (Memorandum from Davis to Eliot, April 6; ibid., Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 591, Country Files, Middle East, Bangladesh)
419. Telegram 60873 From the Department of State to the Embassy in Bangladesh
The Department outlined for Consul General Spivack the overall U.S. policy objectives in South Asia and the specific objectives of U.S. policy in dealing with Bangladesh.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL BANGLADESH–US. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Drafted by Constable; cleared by Laingen, Schneider, Van Hollen, Sisco, and Kissinger; and approved by Under Secretary Johnson. Repeated to Islamabad and New Delhi.
420. Telegram 1227 From the Embassy in Bangladesh to the Department of State
Consul General Spivack reported that he delivered President Nixon’s letter to Bangladesh Prime Minister Rahman who “looked forward to the most friendly future relationships between our two countries at both official and popular levels.”
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 16 BANGLADESH. Limited Official Use; Priority. Repeated to Islamabad, Calcutta, and New Delhi. The telegram was sent as originating from the Consulate General in Dacca. The Consulate General, which had been accredited to Pakistan and which existed on sufferance in Dacca after the establishment of Bangladesh, became an Embassy following U.S. recognition.
421. Memorandum From Harold Saunders of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Saunders took note of President Nixon’s intention to shift toward bilateral assistance to Bangladesh and recommended that Kissinger seek the President’s approval to indicate to the Bangladesh Government that such a change was contemplated.
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 591, Country Files, Middle East, Bangladesh. Confidential. Sent for action. The attached draft memorandum from Kissinger to Nixon, which called for Nixon to respond to a recommendation that the AID officials in Bangladesh be authorized to indicate the U.S. intention to initiate a bilateral aid program, was not sent and is not published. Kissinger responded to Saunders’ memorandum in a handwritten note on the memorandum: “He intends to go into bilateral aid but to cut down on multilateral aid.” For a record of the SRG meeting on April 17, during which the question of economic assistance to Bangladesh was discussed, see Document 249.
422. Memorandum From the Executive Secretary of the Department of State (Eliot) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
In response to the President’s expressed desire to convert as much multilateral economic assistance to Bangladesh as possible into bilateral assistance, Eliot forwarded the Department’s recommendations as to how the remaining $130 million of a $200 million Congressional appropriation for South Asian relief could be channeled to Bangladesh in the form of bilateral assistance.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, AID (US) BANGLADESH. Limited Official Use. No drafting information appears on the memorandum. The attachment cited in the memorandum is not published. On May 22 NSC Staff Secretary Davis sent a memorandum to Eliot which reads: “In response to your May 15 memorandum, bilateral assistance of $75 to $100 million in the current U.S. fiscal year has been approved. Your recommendations on the mix of other relief assistance for Bangladesh is (sic.) also approved.” (Ibid.) On May 30 the Department of State announced that the United States and Bangladesh had signed a bilateral agreement providing for $90 million in U.S. assistance to Bangladesh as a grant for rehabilitation. (Telegram 94906 to Dacca, May 30; ibid., AID (US) 4 BANGLADESH)
423. Memorandum For the President’s File
Ambassador-Designate Karim made his initial call on President Nixon who pledged that the United States would do everything it could to help Bangladesh survive and to provide hope for the future.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 17 BANGLADESH–US. Confidential; Exdis. Drafted by Hoskinson.
424. Intelligence Note RNAN–17 Prepared in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research
The INR assessment of political developments in Bangladesh concluded that: “The euphoria of victory in Bangladesh has faded, and the BDG must now contend with criticism in its exceedingly difficult task of reconstruction.” As a result, the analyst concluded, “it is likely that the BDG will tilt toward the left.”
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL BANGLADESH. Confidential. Drafted in INR/DDR/RNA by David C. McGaffey and approved by Office Director Curtis F. Jones.
425. Telegram CONTO 237 From the Embassy in Pakistan to the Department of State
Former Treasury Secretary Connally reported on his July 3 conversation with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Samad.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 7 US/Connally. Confidential; Exdis. Also numbered telegram 5842. Repeated to Bangkok, Bombay, Budapest for the Secretary’s party, Dacca, Calcutta, New Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Madras, Rangoon, Singapore, and USUN. Sent to the White House for Davis, to the Treasury for Dixon, and to the Department of State for A/OPR, S/S, and NEA. John Connally resigned as Secretary of the Treasury on May 16. Thereafter he visited a number of countries around the world at President Nixon’s request to review matters of mutual interest with host governments. Included on his itinerary were stops in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
426. Telegram CONTO 262 From the Embassy in Iran to the Department of State
Former Treasury Secretary Connally reported on his July 3 conversation with Bangladesh Prime Minister Rahman.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 7 US/Connally. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Also numbered telegram 4084. Sent with instructions to pass to New Delhi, Dacca, Islamabad, the White House for Davis, the Treasury for Dixon, and the Department for S/S, A/OPR, and NEA.
427. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon
Kissinger sent to Nixon a summary of the relief assistance provided to Bangladesh January 1–June 30.
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 591, Country Files, Middle East, Bangladesh. Limited Official Use. Sent for information. A notation on the memorandum indicates the President saw it. Haig sent the memorandum to Kissinger under a covering memorandum on July 15, in which he noted that “according to Saunders’ bookkeeping” the United States had maintained the 33% contribution level stipulated by Nixon. In a handwritten note on the covering memorandum Kissinger expressed his doubts: “I am sure bookkeeping is crooked. Last year above total was 67%.” Despite his reservations, Kissinger initialed the memorandum and sent it to the President.
428. Information Memorandum From the Country Director for Pakistan and Afghanistan (Laingen) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs (Sisco)
Laingen summarized the international response to the appeal by the UN Secretary-General for foodgrains for Bangladesh.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, NEA/PAB Files: Lot 77 D 16, AID 1, AID to Bangladesh 1972. Limited Official Use. Drafted in NEA/PAB by W. Scott Butcher. The attachment cited in the memorandum is not published.
429. Telegram 4591 From the Embassy in Bangladesh to the Department of State
To offset an anticipated shortage, Prime Minister Mujibur Rahman requested that the United States supply foodgrains to Bangladesh as quickly as possible.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, SOC 10 BANGLADESH. Limited Official Use; Priority. Repeated to Canberra, Islamabad, New Delhi for Williams, Ottawa, Tokyo, and USUN. Sent as a joint Embassy/USCOR message.
430. Telegram 4747 From the Embassy in Bangladesh to the Department of State
Chargé Newberry informed Prime Minister Rahman that the United States could provide 100,000 tons of wheat for arrival in January, and added that an additional 100,000 tons could predictably be provided during the remainder of the U.S. fiscal year. Newberry told Rahman that in all probability no additional amounts would be provided.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, SOC 10 BANGLADESH. Unclassified; Priority. Repeated to Bangkok, Islamabad, Karachi, New Delhi, Ottawa, Tokyo, and USUN.
431. Memorandum From Harold Saunders of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Saunders posed the options open to the United States in the pending debate in the UN General Assembly on the question of membership for Bangladesh. Kissinger decided to continue to support the position taken on the question by Pakistan and China.
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 591, Country Files, Middle East, Bangladesh. Confidential. Sent for action. In a November 23 note attached to the memorandum, Richard Kennedy informed Saunders that Kissinger had decided that the United States should hold to its former position on the issue.
432. Telegram 5451 Fromthe Embassy in Bangladesh to the Department of State
The Embassy proposed that it be authorized to stipulate that the first aid agreement to be signed with the Bangladesh Government in fiscal year 1973 be used as the “occasion to have Awami League cabinet make symbolic gesture to indicate it does not intend to disavow responsibility for BDG’s acceptance of US aid.”
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, AID (US) BANGLADESH. Confidential; Exdis.