1971 was truly a traumatic year for Pakistan. There were domestic problems and the corrupt elite were squabbling with our Bengali brothers on things like Bengali language in Dhaka University.
A self-proclaimed peaceful neighbour decided to stoke more divisions in order to exploit the situation in it’s favour and we bought it hook, line and sink! The alien neighbour’s intention was to genuinely help the downtrodden Bengalis in East Pakistan: the motivation lay in trying to diffuse a potentially explosive geographical disadvantage in strategic terms as a result of having the East and West border surrounded by Pakistan. The second intention was to try to salvage some hegemonic designs in the region almost a decade after receiving a thrashing from the Chinese (note just one war with a country with a population and size close to its own and the world saw the reality!!!).
Anyways, here is what ex-President Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger and other heavyweights of the US leadership had to say about India!
Also note that it would be inaccurate to analyze this along the lines of Cold War dimensions because similar sentiments were echoed by the Chinese leadership about the Indian government in the early 1960’s!!! The Chinese clearly indicated that the Indians had a patronizing attitude (yes even back then!) and would hint at dividing the region into “spheres of influence” with the Chinese!!! I guess they learnt their lesson in 1962!
Without further adue here it is (P.S: these are just extracts that have been declassified by the White House; I am sure there is much more that will clearly show the alien neighbour’s michevous designs on other aspects as well!): see how Nixon was lecturing former President G. Bush (senior) as well on India!
Nixon held India guilty of 1971 aggression: White House releases tape recordings
WASHINGTON: White House tape recordings released on Thursday show former US President Richard Nixon had little sympathy for India while trying to mediate peace between it and Pakistan in 1971.
“The Indians put on their sanctimonious peace Gandhi-like, Christ-like attitude,” Nixon told former US President George Bush, then US Ambassador to the United Nations, on Dec 8, 1971.
“(They think) ‘We are the greatest and the world’s biggest democracy and Pakistan is one of the most horrible dictatorships.’”
The tapes, containing recorded telephone conversations and meetings from Aug-Dec 1971, also captured Nixon advisers, such as Henry Kissinger and former speaker of the House, John McCormack, offering their views on the 1971 war between Pakistan and India.
“The Indians are master-psychologists,” Kissinger said to Nixon during a telephone conversation on Jan 1, 1972. “They know they have to deal with us because they are literally now in worse shape than ever.”
“I guess they must be,” Nixon replied in a seemingly satisfied tone.
Beginning in Feb 1971, Nixon began taping all his telephone conversations and meetings, the most infamous of which pertained to the Watergate break-in scandal, which ultimately led to his resignation in 1974.
BANGLADESH: The 1971 war lasted 14 days and ended with the birth of Bangladesh.
But two weeks after the end of the war, Nixon was still reticent to endorse the new state and told Kissinger he would announce that the recognition of Bangladesh was premature.
“And of course we have a consul in Dhaka with a map calling it Bangladesh already,” Kissinger complained to Nixon.
“Yes I know,” Nixon replied with obvious irritation. “The (unprintable word) who was there before, isn’t he? He’s really an all-out India-lover, isn’t he?”
Nixon did little in conversation to hide what side he was leaning toward.
“We (the US) are doing our best to cool it,” Nixon told McCormack on Dec 8, 1971. “The UN asked both sides to withdraw and has put some of the blame on India, where it belongs, for not withdrawing.”
But for image-sake, Nixon told his advisers it was paramount to convince people he was neither anti-India nor pro-Pakistan, but instead “pro-peace”.
“Aggression is wrong,” he lectured Bush. “Those god damn Communist countries are engaged in it, but even if a democracy (such as India) engages in it it’s wrong.”
In private, however, Nixon denigrated the Indians.
“The Indians just smother you out there with all their devious tricky things,” he once said to McCormack. “They are really something.”
**Nixon held India guilty of 1971 aggression: White House releases tape recordings ** **“The Indians put on their sanctimonious peace Gandhi-like, Christ-like attitude,” Nixon told former US President George Bush, then US Ambassador to the United Nations, on Dec 8, 1971. **