Foreign Relations, 1969-1976, Volume E-7,
Released by
the Office of the Historian
FROM
AMBASSADOR
PLEASE PASS
WHITE HOUSE
SUBJECT:
REF: A. PARAGRAPH 17,
B. PARAGRAPHS 11 THROUGH
16,
1. AT HIS
REQUEST I CALLED ON THE DEFENSE SECRETARY AT 0900 HOURS THIS MORNING.
2. HE
REMINDED ME THAT BEFORE I HAD LEFT FOR CONSULTATION IN WASHINGTON IN JUNE 1968
THEN PRESIDENT AYUB HAD GIVEN ME A MESSAGE FOR PRESIDENT JOHNSON TO THE EFFECT
THAT IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE TO WORK OUT SOME CONTINUATION OF THE PESHAWAR
OPERATION IF IT COULD BE DONE QUOTE ON A SMALLER AND LESS VISIBLE BASIS, IN A
DIFFERENT LOCATION, UNDER COMPLETE PAKISTAN CONTROL UNQUOTE. HE ALSO REMINDED
ME THAT UPON MY RETURN FROM THAT CONSULTATION TRIP I HAD INFORMED HIM THAT
PRESIDENT JOHNSON HAD BEEN INTERESTED IN THE SUGGESTION AND HAD REQUESTED ME TO
EXPLORE THAT POSSIBILITY FULLY. COMMENT: YOU WILL RECALL THAT WHEN I CONVEYED
PRESIDENT JOHNSON'S MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT AYUB THE THEN NEW FOREIGN MINISTER,
ARSHAD HUSSAIN, REMARKED THAT WHILE HE HAD NOT REPEAT NOT BEEN PRESENT AT THE
PRIOR MEETING HE HAD STUDIED THE RECORD VERY CAREFULLY AND THAT AYUB HAD NOT
REPEAT NOT STATED THE MATTER AS I HAD SUGGESTED. YOU WILL RECALL FURTHER THAT
AYUB PROMPTLY AND VIGOROUSLY CONTRADICTED THE MINISTER SAYING THAT I HAD QUOTED
HIM PRECISELY BUT THAT IN THE INTERVENING WEEKS THERE HAD BEEN DEVELOPMENTS,
NAMELY THAT THE RUSSIANS HAD STATED THAT THEY WOULD EXPECT US TO TRY THIS
GAMBIT AND THAT THEY WANTED THE PAKISTANIS TO KNOW THAT IF THEY UNDERTOOK IT,
WOULD BE DETECTED, AND THEREFORE AYUB WAS NO REPEAT NO LONGER IN A POSITION TO
PURSUE THAT POSSIBILITY.
3. THE
SECRETARY THEN SAID THAT PRESIDENT YAHYA WOULD BE WRITING TO TALK TO ME ABOUT
THE POSSIBILITY OF MAKING SOME ARRANGEMENT SUCH AS AYUB HAD PREVIOUSLY
SUGGESTED.
4. WOULD
APPRECIATE INSTRUCTIONS ASAP A TO:
A. WHAT ATTITUDE I SHOULD TAKE IF YAHYA DOES SURFACE THIS POSSIBILITY IN THE
NEAR FUTURE: AND
B. SHOULD I
RAISE THE MATTER WITH HIM IF HE DOES NOT REPEAT NOT DO SO
SHORTLY?
OEHLERT
Source: Volume E7, State Department Documents