Background: President Nixon's special advisor on national security matters, Doctor Henry Kissinger, on Friday (9 July) had talks lasting one and a half hours with Pakistan's President Yahya Khan in Rawalpindi.

Only a brief, one-sentence statement on the talks was issued by the Government. It did not mention the topics discussed. One Pakistan newspaper speculated that Doctor Kissinger was discussing the possibility of stationing United Nations troops in East Pakistan.

The United States envoy had arrived in Islamabad on Thursday (8 July) from Delhi, where he had been discussing the Pakistan issues with Indian leaders.