Historical Documents - Office of the Historian

Washington, June 21, 1974, 1526Z.

1.: Department is deeply concerned about implications of ref B that Nepalese diplomatic pouch from Kathmandu to New York Permanent UN Mission has been misused for purposes of attempted smuggling of hashish into the United States. Ref B has also been distributed to NSC, DEA, and Cabinet Committee on International Narcotics Control.
2.: First, we are interested in closing any channels for illicit narcotics trafficking in the U.S. In addition we believe that if this information were to become public, both our present good relations with Nepal and our assistance program there could be jeaopardized. Hence it is in our interest as well as GON’s that it take appropriate steps to ensure that this flagrant abuse of diplomatic privilege is not repeated
3.: We believe Nepalese are already aware of this problem, but think it only advisable that we make our concern known. Request Embassy’s comments on substance and focus of any approach on problem in Kathmandu and Washington.

Kissinger

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files. Secret; Exdis. It was drafted by Lorton, NEA/INS; cleared by NEA/RA, INR/RNA/SOA, S/NM, and NEA/INS; and approved by Laingen. Family members of at least one Nepali Government official were allegedly involved in the smuggling ring broken by arrests in Tokyo. (Telegrams 1731, April 29, and 2016, May 14, from Katmandu and Washington)↩
The Department alerted the Embassy to the suspected use of the Nepalese pouch as a hashish smuggling route and instructed Ambassador Cargo to alert the Nepalese so that such an “abuse of diplomatic privilege is not repeated.”↩

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