Library of Congress - Kissinger Papers
1971-03-30
Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between President Nixon and His Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
By Kissinger & Nixon
Page: 0
Foreign Relations of the United States
Volume X1
South Asia Crisis, 1971
/1/ Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 367, Telephone Conversations, Chronological File. No classification marking.
San Clemente, California, March 30, 1971, 9:35 a.m.
P: What's new today?
[Omitted here is discussion of issues unrelated to South Asia.]
K: In Pakistan it continues, but there isn't a whole lot we can do about it.
P: No. Are we pressing?
K: No, we may remove the American civilians.
P: That's okay.
K: But even that we won't do before Thursday./2/
/2/ April 1.
P: But we should just stay out-like in Biafra, what the hell can we do?
K: Good point.
P: I don't like it, but I didn't like shooting starving Biafrans either. What do they think we are going to do but help the Indians.
K: They have been ambivalent about it anyway.
P: They are ambivalent about everything.
K: That Consul in Dacca doesn't have the strongest nerves.
P: Neither does Keating. They are all in the middle of it; it's just like Biafra. The main thing to do is to keep cool and not do anything. There's nothing in it for us either way.
K: It would infuriate the West Pakistanis; it wouldn't gain anything with the East Pakistanis, who wouldn't know about it anyway and the Indians are not noted for their gratitude.
[Omitted here is discussion of issues unrelated to South Asia.]