UNITED NATIONS, N. Y., Aug. 2 — Secretary General Thant warned today that a major conflict could break out between India and Pakistan, which “could all too easily expand.”

The warning was made in a memorandum for Security Council members made public today amid growing pessimism among diplomats and officials about the situation.

Lack of progress in Mr. Thant's private efforts in recent months was reflected in the Secretary General's remarks. He said:

“I am deeply concerned about the possible consequences of the present situation, not only in a humanitarian sense but also as a potential threat to peace and security and for its bearing on the future of the United Nations as an effective instrument for international co operation and action.”

The memorandum reflected concern about the danger of big‐power involvement if the deteriorating situation erupted into fighting and Pakistan turned for support to China and India to the Soviet Union.

The statement is Mr. Thant's most outspoken on the crisis, which has followed the West Pakistani Army's campaign, begun March 25, to crush the separatist movement in East Pakistan and which has sent seven million refugees fleeing into India.

With the memorandum, Mr. Thant put on record his behind the‐scenes efforts to persuade India and Pakistan to accept United Nations representatives on their territory to facilitate repatriation of the refugees. He has been seeing delegates of the two sides almost daily.

Pakistan agreed on July 20 to accept representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees at two or three selected areas “on both sides.” India today responded formally and expressed “total opposition” to the plan, which she complained would only divert world attention from unabated Pakistani oppression of the East Pakistanis.

In short, neither Mr. Thant's approach to the Council nor his negotiations with the two parties have so far yielded results.

At Mr. Thant's request, Jacques Kosciusko‐Morizet of France, who was Council President for July, canvassed the members and reported that sentiment did not favor an open public meeting, mainly because of fear of exacerbating tensions.

Moreover, there is growing anxiety that the situation is worsening daily, with border clashes, raids and sabotage becoming more frequent. There is concern that the refugee situation should not be permitted to stagnate as happened on a reduced scale with the Palestinian Arab refugees in 1949.

Mr. Thant's warning to the Council stressed that outside relief would not suffice to resolve the problem and that a political settlement was required. The assistance program for East Pakistan, to which the United States on Friday pledged $1‐million, is a separate operation from the plan for repatriating the refugees now in India with the aid of the High Commission's office.

Mr. Thant pointedly declared today that his request for the acceptance of United Nations staff “on both sides” was not an attempt to introduce a peace keeping operation such as the United Nations had in the Middle East and the Congo and still maintains in Cypress.

Diplomats here hope that the presence of civilians serving under United Nations auspices would help reduce incidents and lessen tensions.

India, in a reply to Mr. Thant, renewed her argument for a political settlement acceptable to the East Pakistanis.

She said she would “welcome any action by the U. N. which would insure and guarantee, under adequate international supervision, that the refugees' lands, houses and property will be returned to them in East Pakistan and that conditions are created there to insure their safe return under credible international guarantees without threat of reprisal or other measures of repression from the military authorities in West Pakistan.” end throughout most parts of East Pakistan.

There are indications that military action between the separatist Mukti Bahini, or liberation army, and the national army is increasing rapidly.

Bengali sources said that on Saturday night Pakistani Army troops moved into the port area of Dacca and began firing blank cartridges to scare people away from a dock.

Some Bengali observers who remained in the area, according to the account, saw servicemen unloading bodies of soldiers from a vessel.

In Dacca there were many civilian arrests over the week end.

Universities throughout East Pakistan reopened today with heavy contingents of troops in evidence, but attendance could not be immediately estimated.

A reliable foreign traveler reported that a major bridge on the key road between Dacca, the provincial capital and Comilla, a major town to the east on the Indian frontier was blown up by guerrillas over the weekend.