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

385. Telegram 125 From the Consulate General in Dacca to the Department of State¹ ²

Dacca, January 12, 1972, 0745Z

Subj:

• Invitation to Swearing In Ceremony

1. I have just received by telephone (to be followed by formal invitatton now on way) invitation to attend swearing-in ceremony of President Mujibur Rahman and the government to be held at Banghabhaban in two and one-half hours (sixteen hundred hours local time).

2. Request by flash reply instructions. If no reply received by time I must leave, I shall base my attendance or my non-attendance on consensus of opinion among my French, British, and Australian colleagues.

Spivack

1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 15–1 BANGLA DESH. Limited Official Use; Flash. Repeated to Islamabad and New Delhi. The Department returned a Flash response within 2 hours instructing Spivack that no U.S representative should attend the ceremony. The cable was drafted by Van Hollen and cleared by Irwin and Kissinger. (Telegram 5773 to Dacca, January 12; ibid.) On January 13 Spivack cabled the Department that the United States was the only government with de facto representation in Dacca not represented at the swearing-in ceremony. (Telegram 136 from Dacca; ibid.)
2. Consul General Spivack reported that he had just been invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony for President Mujibur Rahman to take place that day. He cabled urgently for instructions.