Office of the Historian

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)1 2

Washington, August 3, 1972

SUBJECT:

  • Response to Million-Ton Foodgrain Appeal for Bangladesh

You will recall that on May 31 the UN Secretary General made an appeal for one million tons of foodgrains for Bangladesh for the remainder of the calendar year. To date in response to this appeal commitments are as follows:

Country Thousands of Tons
United States 350
EEC 128
Japan 61.1*
India 50
Canada 50
Australia 40 **
Pakistan 22
UK 20 737.1

The US contribution includes 150 thousand tons valued at approximately $20 million which is additional to the $267.5 million previous total of US relief to Bangladesh, and which is scheduled to be announced shortly.

Attached for your information is AID’s latest compilation of data on foreign contributions to Bangladesh relief.

* under very concessional 30-year loan agreement

** possible this may increase by 10,000 tons

  1. 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.↩
  2. Laingen summarized the international response to the appeal by the UN Secretary-General for foodgrains for Bangladesh.↩