Department of State

 

TELEGRAM

 

SECRET 430

 

 

ISLAMA 09600 220607 Z 12

ACTION SS-25

INFO OCT-01 / 026 W

……… 084152

R 211235Z SEP 71

FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD

TO SECSTATE WASHDC 688

INFO AMCONSUL DACCA

AMCONSUL KARACHI

AMCONSUL LAHORE

AMEMBASSY LONDON

AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI

AMEMBASSY TEHRAN

SECRET ISLAMABAD 9600

EXDIS

 

SUB: CONVERSATION WITH PRESIDENT YAHYA KHAN: YAHYA'S VISIT TO   

          TEHRAN

 

1. I met with President Yahya at his office in Rawalpindi on Sept. 21 at 1115 Hours for 45-minute conversation touching on number of topics being reported in this and immediately following cables.

 

      2. After exchange of pleasantries, I observed that his trip to Tehran last week had created good deal of interest and wondered if there was anything he could tell me about trip.

 

      3. Yahya began by saying visit had come about at Shah's initiative. Forsec Sultan Khan, he explained, had met with Shah during his August visit to Tehran to attend regional meeting of Pak Ambassadors. Shah had indicated to Sultan that he felt East Pak situation called for an early meeting with Yahya to talk over mutual problems. Yahya, when advised of Shah's suggestion, had pointed out that he already scheduled to visit Tehran in Oct. to attend anniversary celebrations, but Shah had proposed brief earlier visit.

 

      4. Nothing new or startling had come from meeting, Yahya continued. They had spent some time discussing Indo-Soviet treaty, which Yahya said he characterized to Shah as put together in haste and mentioned in part by US-PRC rapproachement "'A case of India being lonesome and looking for friends". Shah had described his efforts

to arrange meeting between Yahya and Mrs. Gandhi, which, he told Yahya, she had turned down with "an impertinent remark".

Apart from that, Yahya concluded, meeting devoted merely to discussion of "mutual problems".

 

      5. Referring to rumors that meeting was related to efforts by Shah to arrange parlay between GOP and Bangla Desh, I asked Yahya whether there was anything to stories. He assured me there was not.

 

      6. COMMENT: During our discussion of the Tehran visit, I had distinct impression that Yahya-in contrast to his usual forthcoming manner-was not relating whole story but holding back a great deal.

GP-2

FARLAND

 

 

 

Source: The American Papers - Secret and Confidential India. Pakistan. Bangladesh Documents 1965- 1973, The University

               Press Limited, p. 668-669.