CIA SUPPORTS BENGALI ELITE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01601R001000100001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 16, 2001
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 15, 1972
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 0 L4kWA~~-WA00
-13 Jan 19T2
Today, the guerrillas-most of them are not
Maoists-equipped with light machine guns, sten
guns, and other small arms, are refusing to
surrender their weapons to the Awami League
government or its Indian Army allies.
West Bengal (India) traded
extensively and profitably with
East ' Pakistan.. Now Calcutta
businessmen hope to resume old
business ties.
One of India's motives for
invading was fear of the growing
leadership of local leftists in the
Bangladesh liberation movement.
These groups-virtually ignored by
STATOTHR
the American' press-wished to
create a socialist Bangladesh,
At long last-a television war. the chief South Asian adviser to
Every night we watched to see i Senator Edward Kennedy, reports
who was winning, to count that "refugees from East Pakistan,
casualties, and to give thanks that who have entered eastern India in
we wouldn't have to fight. And, several surges beginning in 1947,
after a few weeks; it ended. Indian have tended to join extremist
troops occupy Bangladesh political factions...."
attempting "to keep the peace" . Worker's Rebellion
and disarm the Bengali guerrilla Discontent among the natives
forces. Sheik Mujibur Rahman, of West Bengal (the Indian
the President of Bangladesh, is province surrounding Calcutta)
freed from a West Pakistan jail also threatens the authority of the
after nine months of Indian government. West Bengal
imprisonment and is returning landowners and employers have
home. hired many of the refugees,
Why did it happen? What now? lowering wages and forcing many
When. Indian policy-makers Indians out of work in an area
decided to intervene in East with already sizable
Bengal (East Pakistan or unemployment. While there have
Bangladesh) this November, they been reports of clashes between
were responding to a series of native wage-earners and refugees,
economic and political crises. the real threat to India is the
Though masses of anti-Moslem, specter of a rebellion by West
anti-Pakistani Indians had been Bengali workers.
demonstrating in the streets since India has tried to contain the
March, the war fever only made it refugees in isolated camps. The
easier for Indian leaders to go to government even hired several
war. thousand young men to try
Refugee Burden curbing extremist agitation in and
Ten million East Bengali around the refugee camps. Indian
refugees now living in India have officials contended that the
been a tremendous burden on the refugees should return to their
Indian economy. Resources, homes, but the bulk of the
'including foreign aid originally refugees would not return so long
intended for India, have been as Pakistani troops occupied East
reallocated for the refugees. The Bengal. And as long as the
total expenditure on refugees this refugees remain in India, they ere
fiscal year will be at least 20% of a political liability for Mrs.
the entire Indian budget. Gandhi's government.
Mrs. Gandhi's government was
worried about the potential
political explosiveness of the ten
'million refugees. India feared that
the Bangladesh struggle would
independent of India as well as
Pakistan. Even before the
Pakistani civil war began in March,
1971, the East Pakistan
Communist Part y
(Marxist-Leninist) had organized
guerrilla bands, killed several
landrords, and distributed land to
the peasants. Just before the
Indian invasion the Far Eastern
Economic Review reported fierce
fighting between the Maoists and
the Awami-League-backed
guerrillas in East Bengal.
Armed Guerrillas
Today, the guerrillas-most of
them are not Maoists-equipped
with light machine guns, sten
guns, and other small arms are
refusing to surrender their
weapons to the Awami League
government or its Indian Army
allies. The Mukti Bahini control
many areas of Bangladesh,
including the banks, the offices,
and the local treasury. A large
proportion of the guerrillas are
students who are radicalized and
want the struggle to be carried to
its logical end.-They do not want
any "going back" on their
revolution.
"We want an exploitation free,
socialist, democratic society with.
social ownership over modes of
production," one of them told a
reporter.
The Awami.League elite, which
basked in the sunshine of the
??Mukti Bahini's guerrilla
On the other hand, a operations, is now in power after-
pro - Indian Bangladesh nine months in the relative
government will be an asset to comfort of exile, in India. They
India's economy. Before do not relish such talk. They
spill over into n alread u bleuinen~7S~~~CLTCa I~d
West Ben al:~~ ~o 9 -Tv?, r A F $b~ t ~f~ in~~31 0VI00001-2
formed AID director in India and . disarmed before t e ian rmy
East Bengal jute trade. Until 1965 withdraws-from the country.
 Approved For Release 20A113/,IA-RDP80-
P1 z
I-1 7,,)
S:hi?':lllttei
.headed by Mrs. Osv;old Lord, is
reported to be s;:lldin some
$244,000 per month. It is -,IMdy
paying handsome ''allllo:-,ances'' to
some 155 intellectuals front B angla.
De h "for 1' search work" and to
10 artists "for holding exllibi-
I`tions.'?'
This organization was active
- ' among the Cub?11 counter-revolu-
t.lonaries and also a!17.Gi1 emi re
I-Iunarians. dirs. Lord Is l;.nowil
to have links with the CIA.
J
STATOTHR
Approved For Release 2001/03/04: CIA-RDP80-01601 R001000100001-2