Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–8, Documents on South Asia, 1973–1976

127. Telegram 88965 From the Department of State to the Embassies in Pakistan and India¹ ²

Washington, May 10, 1973, 1754Z.

Subject:

• India and Pakistan: Guidance re Military Supply

1. The following sets forth in its entirety a statement approved by the White House delineating the current military supply policy toward India and Pakistan.

2. Quote: The following statement recapitulates the President’s policy decisions in regard to military supply to India and Pakistan which were announced on March 14, 1973 these decisions had two purposes: first, to clear up past commitments to the two countries and second, to inner quote return to the policy of 1967–71 of supplying non-lethal equipment and spare parts for previously supplied lethal equipment end inner quote.

Past commitments

With regard to past commitments, the decisions permit:

A) Licensing of the export of items (valued at an estimated dols 1.1 million) owned by Pakistan whose export was blocked by the embargo; these include a mix of non-lethal equipment and spares for previously supplied equipment. (Licensing is proceeding.)

B) Release to Pakistan of the 300 armored personnel carriers (APC’s) (valued at dols 13 million) offered to and accepted by Pakistan under the 1970 inner quote one-time-exception end inner quote to our 1967 policy which did not permit sales of lethal equipment. (Almost two-thirds of the APC’s are now available and the balance will be delivered to Pakistani control by August 1973.)

C) Implementation, if the Indians so desire, of the inner quote Peace Indigo end inner quote project of communications equipment for India (valued at dols 18.7 million, including FMS credit of dols 17.0 million).

Return to the policy of 1967–71

The second purpose restores the military supply policy toward India and Pakistan which was in effect between 1967 and 1971 and would permit the following:

A) Supply on a cash basis under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Act and from commercial sources of non-lethal equipment and spares for such equipment.

B) Supply on a cash basis under the FMS Act and from commercial souces of spare parts for previously supplied lethal equipment; each transcation approved on a case-by-case basis.

C) Supply on a cash basis under the FMS Act and from commercial sources of ammunition for previously supplied lethal equipment; each transaction approved on a case-by-case basis.

D) Training on a grant basis, which was unaffected by the embargo.

Definitions of lethal and non-lethal

As the memorandum from the President stated, the lifting of the embargo involves a inner quote return end inner quote to the policy in effect during 1967–1971. Thus, in distinguishing between inner qoute lethal end inner quote and inner quote non-lethal end inner quote equipment, the following definitions in regard to type of equipment, adopted under the 1967–71 policy, will apply:

A) Lethal items include, inter alia, combat aircraft and armed helicopters; armed or armored vehicles (such as tanks and armored personnel carriers); infantry weapons and artillery; and components needed to render them lethal.

B) Non-lethal items include, inter alia, trucks, trailers, miscellaneous wheeled vehicles and spares; communications, radar, sonar and signal equipment; transport, observation and trainer aircraft; unarmed helicopters, support equipment and spares; engineering equipment and machine tools; and, medical and quartermaster equipment. Ammunition will be treated as a spearate entity. End quote

3. Re third country transfers, the position is set forth in paragraph 2 of State 085782.

Rogers

1. Source: National Archives, RG 84, New Delhi Embassy Files: Lot 78 F 45, Subject Files 1974 DEF 19 Mil Asst/MAP/Sales 1974. Confidential. It was repeated to Tehran, London, USUN, Dhaka, SecDef, and CINCPAC.
2. Secretary of State Rogers issued the White House’s statement on current arms supply policy toward India and Pakistan.