U.K. National Archives

Conclusions of a meeting of the Cabinet held at 10 Downing Street, on Tuesday, 14 December, 1971 at 10.30 a.m

Attendees: E Heath; A Douglas-Home; W Whitelaw; K Joseph; R Carr; G Campbell; P Walker; A Barber; Carrington; G Rippon; M Thatcher; Jellicoe; P Thomas; J Davies; M Macmillan; F Pym.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary said that the battle for Dacca had now been joined. There was evidence of disagreement between the local military commander in East Pakistan and the Military Adviser to the Governor; and the outcome would probably determine whether the final stages of the war in the East Wing would be relatively orderly or would disintegrate into a holocaust. The Indian Government had said that they intended to set up an independent government of Bangla Desh in East Pakistan and that they had no territorial ambitions in West Pakistan. It was not clear, however, whether this latter assurance was intended to extend to Kashmir. In any event it was to be expected that Indian troops would have to remain in Bangla Desh for some time to keep order; and this could complicate the question of our eventual recognition of the new State which seemed to hope for membership of the Commonwealth. The United Nations remained in deadlock, since any Resolution tabled in the Security Council calling for the withdrawal of the combatants was bound to attract the veto of one member or another. We ourselves had so far judged it prudent to abstain from voting in the hope of being able to make a more practical intervention at a later stage. Meanwhile, our objective must be to try to ensure that the remnants of the Pakistan Army were evacuated from the East Wing alive and to preserve the West Wing of Pakistan intact. Our attitude towards the supply of arms was that no British interest would be served by breaking existing contracts but that the issue of licences to export arms and military equipment would be kept under close supervision.