Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–7, Documents on South Asia, 1969–1972

284. Telegram 4085 From the Embassy in Iran to the Department of State¹ ²

Tehran, July 8, 1972, 0940Z

Subject:

• Secretary Connally Travel: Memorandum of Conversation From Secretary Connally’s Meeting With President Bhutto at the Presidential Palace in Rawalpindi on July 6, 1972: Part I of VII: Preliminary Greetings.

1. To begin with the atmosphere was exceedingly warm and cordial, which is apparently characteristic of personality of President Bhutto. He started off the conversation, in which we were along throughout, by expressing his great pleasure at my visit at this particular time to Pakistan.

2. After preliminary greetings, in which I conveyed President Nixon’s fondest regards and respect and admiration for the political stability President Bhutto had brought to his country in a relatively short period of time in most adverse circumstances. I told him I was under instructions from the President to fully inform him on the President’s visit to Peking and Moscow; to discuss with him the domestic economic, and political situation in the U.S. and to the extent of his interest, to cover any problems in the international monetary and economic field. I told him I didn’t want to bore him with the monetary and economic matters since we had spent the two previous hours with his Planning and Economic and Finance Minister on these particular subjects. He said he had assumed nearly every portfolio except that of Finance Minister.

Connally

1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 7 US/Connally. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Also designated as CONTO 263. Sent with instructions to pass to Islamabad, New Delhi, Dacca, the White House for Davis, and Treasury for Dixon.
2. In the first of a seven part report on his conversation with Pakistani President Bhutto in Rawalpindi on July 6, Former Treasury Secretary Connally noted that he opened the conversation by indicating that President Nixon had instructed him to inform Bhutto about his trips to Peking and Moscow, and to discuss other issues of mutual interest.