Nixon Presidential Materials

ebruary 11, 1972

SUBJECT:
BANGLADESH RECOGNITION

REF:
ISLAMABAD 1113, STATE 21111

Department of State TELEGRAM

P 111200Z FEB 72

FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 2931Q

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3044

FEB 11, 1972.

8:37AM

BT

ISLAMABAD 1374

NODIS

1. DURING MEETING WITH PRES. BHUTTO IN KARACHI EVENING FEB 10, I SAID I WANTED HIM TO KNOW THAT HIS VIEWS ON TIMING US RECOGNITION BANGLADESH WERE UNDER HIGH-LEVEL USG REVIEW. HE SAID HE WAS GLAD TO HEAR THAT. HE THEN WENT ON TO SAY THAT HIS OWN TIMING ON ANNOUNCEMENT LAND REFORM HAS SLIPPED FROM FEB 20 DATE HE HAD PREVIOUSLY GIVEN ME. HE NOTED THERE WILL BE A FLURRY OF VISITORS HERE DURING LATTER PART FEB, INCLUDING SIR ALEC DOUGLAS-HOME, ARDESHIR ZAHEDI (FORMER IRANIAN FONMIN) AND PRINCESS ASHRAF. HE HAD DECIDED THAT LAND REFORM ANNOUNCEMENT WOULD HAVE TO BE DELAYED AND HE WAS NOW THINKING IN TERMS OF FIRST WEEK OF MARCH. AFTER BRIEF ALLUSION TO LOCAL PRESS COVERAGE THAT MORNING OF DR. KISSINGER’S REMARKS TO PRESS ON BANGLADESH (ISLAMABAD 1317), BHUTTO SAID HE THOUGHT SHORT DELAY BEYOND FEB 20 ON US RECOGNITION OF BANGLADESH WOULD ALSO SUIT USG. HE THOUGHT, FOR EXAMPLE, CHINESE MIGHT APPRECIATE IT IF USG ANNOUNCEMENT OF RECOGNITION WERE DELAYED UNTIL AFTER PRES. NIXON’S VISIT TO PEKING, ESPECIALLY IF CHINESE WERE INFORMED OF OUR PLANS IN ADVANCE OF ANNOUNCEMENT. MEANWHILE, BHUTTO SAID, HE SAW NO REASON WHY WE SHOULD NOT GO AHEAD AND ESTABLISH EARLY CONTACT WITH MUJIB AND INDICATE OUR INTENTIONS TO HIM.
2. I SAID I WOULD REPORT HIS COMMENTS PROMPTLY.

SOBER