Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between President Nixon and His Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)/1/

 

San Clemente, California, March 30, 1971, 9:35 a.m.

 

/1/ Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 367, Telephone Conversations, Chronological File. No classification marking.

 

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.]