I attach a message to the President which I have received from the Prime
Minister of Australia, about the situation on the Indian subcontinent,
and I would be grateful if you would pass it to the President. I am also
passing a copy to the Secretary of State.
Yours sincerely.
Attachment
Message From Australian Prime Minister to President Nixon
undated
[Page 2]
For some time now I have been deeply concerned with the problem of
Pakistan and the strategic importance of recent events to the
balance of power and influence in the Pacific and Asian theatres.
This applies particularly to the sub-continent and the Russian
potential, naval and political, in the Indian Ocean.
Whatever past doubts there-may have been, our assessment now is that
Bangladesh, painfully and haltingly, will come into being as an
independent republic. The task of reconstruction after natural
disasters, the brutal repression of the Pakistani martial law
administration and then the devastation of war will be a tremendous
one.
Money and skills will be needed to rebuild the shattered economy and
replace the skilled technicians who have been killed. Food and
medical supplies are also lacking.
The provision of these needs is far beyond the resources of India and
Bangladesh. It is beyond the resources which the Soviet Union is
likely to be willing to provide. In any case I believe it would be a
great tragedy if we were to give India and the world the impression
that we were content to leave to the Soviet Union the task of
solving the problems of India and Bangladesh. It has never been the
case, is not now, and will not be in the future, that the provision
of aid to a country desperately in need of it, like India, ensures
compliance with any particular line of policy. Natural
disappointment when things go awry should not obscure fundamental
longterm objectives.
I also see grave dangers in giving the People’s Republic of China the
impression that we are not concerned about Russian expansion into
the subcontinent. They are highly sensitive to Russian moves in Asia
and may well see in the appearances of some American coolness
towards India an attempt to set the Soviet Union against China,
however unjustified this obviously is.
Our own view, as I know it also to be the view of your
Administration, is that playing off China against Russia will be
productive of dangerous domestic instability in South and South East
Asian countries.
Assuming as I do that the separation of the East and West wings is
now inevitable, I still believe that both states can be economically
viable. Indeed Bangladesh, with access to the markets and the raw
materials of West Bengal, may prove more prosperous than she has
been in the recent past.
[Page 3]
West Pakistan will no doubt look to a closer association with the
states of the Middle East where its role might be a more helpful one
than it has been when in association with the nations of South East
Asia.
My particular concern is with Bangladesh. As a country of more than
70,000,000 people, on the edge of the South East Asian region, it is
an important neighbour for Australia.
At present, the Government is not in effective internal control.
However, we have made it clear to India that we are not against
recognising Bangladesh once the government is clearly established,
functioning and in control, and when President Bhutto’s attempts to reach some
composition with East Bengal have been given a little more time to
work themselves out.
You will know, Mr President, that I hold the view that Australian and
American interests run substantially parallel in most areas of the
world and that I am acutely aware of the immense contribution which
your country has made to the security and prosperity of the whole
world.
You will know too of my admiration for the leadership you and your
Administration have taken in reducing world tensions and the
contribution you personally are making in the cause of detente and
world peace. Such actions can never be forgotten by us.
For these reasons I am encouraged to write to you in this vein. I
perceive the possibility that by withholding support and
encouragement from India and the new country of Bangladesh at this
time the United States runs the risk of facilitating a massive
expansion of Russian activity in the Asian and Indian Ocean area, an
expansion which we assess here as inevitably hostile in intent.
Furthermore, there is chance that India will become politically and
economically tied to the Soviet Bloc. Whatever may be one’s view of
Mrs. Gandhi’s hard-headedness,
India, without Western and mainly United States support, is just not
strong enough to resist at least partial absorption into the Russian
sphere of influence.
[Page 4]
May I urge you to consider these views at a critical time in the
development of the balance of power and influence in a very
important area of the world.
One idea which presents itself to me and which I would like to submit
to you is that because of our common interests we might have a joint
study made at official level about these problems or perhaps we
could prepare a basic paper and send it to you for your
comments.
I would deeply appreciate the benefit of your personal views on this
and related matters.
