341. Telegram From the Embassy in Pakistan to the Department of State1
5035. Subject: (S) Pakistan, the US, and the Bomb.
1. (S) Entire text.
2. Summary: The GOP has rejected our proposals to freeze Pakistan’s nuclear enrichment activities at a nominal research stage, and our concurrent offer to conduct consultations under our 1959 bilateral agreement.2 The negative response ends whatever hopes we may have had of bilaterally negotiating an end to President Zia ul-Haq’s pursuit of a nuclear weapons option. Zia, whose nuclear policy enjoys wide public support, believes that he has no need to negotiate with us a solution which meets his concerns about Pakistan security and ours about nuclear proliferation.
3. Our effort should now become more multilateral. We recommend enlisting the support of the IAEA, the nuclear suppliers, and other concerned nations, including the Soviet Union, China and India. We also recommend a careful airing of our nuclear concerns at the June IBRD Consortium meeting, but recommend against launching a no-aid-to-Pakistan campaign among other donors at this time. We should also consider how we can best position ourselves to deal with the nuclear problem with the elected government which will replace President Zia’s this fall if elections are held as scheduled, how we can halt further public antagonism—that will be fostered by electioneering—in the US-Pakistan relationship, and how we can discourage Pakistan from pursuing an increasingly reckless foreign policy in its search for security. End summary.
[Omitted here is the body of the telegram.]
- Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P850059–1720. Secret; Immediate; Exdis Handle as Nodis. Sent for information to London, New Delhi, Paris, and Beijing.↩
- In telegram 3856 from Islamabad, April 25, Hummel reported that during an April 25 meeting, Shahnawaz rejected the U.S. proposals that Pakistan freeze its nuclear program, which Hummel had presented to Zia on April 9 (see Document 337), but “rehearsed Pakistan’s willingness to accept safeguards on non-discriminatory basis. He lamented apparent linkage between nuclear issues and security talks under ’59 bilateral and said unless U.S. can provide assurance that Washington talks with Shahi would relate only to security issues, GOP sees no point in holding them.” Shahnawaz gave Hummel a copy of his presentation. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790150–0759)↩