WASHINGTON, Dec. 1—The United States, pointing to Indian troops' crossing of the Pakistani border in recent days, today suspended the licensing of arms shipments to India.

In addition, previously approved licenses for about $2‐million in ammunition and ammunition‐making equipment have been revoked.

Charles W. Bray 3d, the State Department spokesman, announced the decision today and said that under it, no new munitions licenses would be granted and no existing license would be renewed after expiration.

State Department officials described the action as a reflection of the Administration's growing exasperation at India's refusal to withdraw her forces from the East Pakistani border.

Follows Move on Pakistan

Three weeks ago the United States moved to shut the controversial arms pipeline to Pakistan by canceling outstanding licenses for the export of military equipment.
Continue reading the main story

Mr. Bray said at the daily departmental briefing that today's move was made “in view of the deteriorating situation in South Asia and the continued military engagements between Indian and Pakistani armed forces.”

Other department officials said that the action was more a symbolic political gesture than a practical attempt to diminish India's military capacities. India purchases only $5 million annually in minor military equipment from the United States and depends for arms mainly on the Soviet Union, Britain and France.

Mr. Bray said that previously approved licenses, except those for ammunition, would be honored, although the United States would keep that decision “under review.” Licenses for a total of about $11.5‐million in military communications equipment and spare parts for transport aircraft have been authorized, but specialists here said that only a fraction of the total was likely to be purchased and delivered to India.

“The point of this move is political, not military,” one senior State Department official commented. “It's an attempt to underscore the Administration's belief that India can and should take the steps to defuse the situation with Pakistan.”

The officials said that because of the relatively small size of the Indian military purchases in this country, they doubted that the move would make New Delhi significantly more dependent on the Soviet Union for arms.

They also said the licensing cutoff was not related to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's rebuff yesterday to repeated American calls for a mutual pullback of forces on both sides of the border.

Speaking to the Indian Parliament, the Prime Minister called upon the Pakistanis to withdraw all troops from East Pakistan, where Indian‐supported Bengali insurgents are batling the Pakistani Army.

The decision to suspend licensing was not mentioned in a message President Nixon sent to Mrs. Gandhi on Monday, State Department sources said. They said that the decision on licenses had been made in the last 48 hours.

Limited Aid Since ‘65

The United States has supplied only limited amounts of military equipment to India and Pakistan since 1965, when, in the wake of fighting between the two countries, the delivery of so‐called “lethal” weapons was banned. Supplies of spare parts and other equipment related to weapons systems previously provided continued until the spring of this year, when the United States took the first of several steps leading to the suspension of deliveries to Pakistan.

Today's move was denounced by Maharajakrishna Rasgotra, the Indian chargé d'affaires here, who was summoned to the State Department this morning to be advised of the suspension.

“I profoundly regret this move,” he said in a telephone interview later. “Denial of the little purchases we make in this country will not solve anything, nor move any of us closer to a political solution in Bengal.”