ARTICLE BY JACK ANDERSON IN THE WASHINGTON POST, 21 DEC. 71, QUOTING CIA CLANDESTINE SERVICE REPORTS ON SOVIET DIPLOMATIC COMMENTS ON THE INDIA-PAKISTANI WAR.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B00023A001000080007-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 6, 2006
• Sequence Number: 7
• Content Type: REPORT

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The_ Washington Merry-Go4tound
'THE WASHINGTON .POST
U.S. Task Force D
fly jack Anderson.
The dramatic appearance of
a U.S. naval task force in the
Ray of Bengal on the eve of
the Pakistani surrehder, it
now appears, didn't intimidate
India at all but merely
strengthened her ties with
Russia. ,
' In New Delhi, Soviet Ant.
bassatior Nikolai M. PegOV
gave India secret assuranaeg
that "a Soviet fleet fit new. In
the Indian Ocean and ..'. will
not allow the Seventh Fleet to
intervene."
He also prornieed, in C8Se of
a Chinese attack aeross the Ni.
malayas, that Ruseia "would
open a diversionary action In
Sinkiang." In short, he prom-
ised Soviet military Winn
, against both The U.S, and
i
China if they intervened on
Pakistan's side.
The fascinating story of big-
power intliguel during the in.
dian-PakIstan fighting Is told
In secret diplomatic dispatches
and intelligence reports.
It was precisely this sort of
secret maneuvering that got
the U.S. deeply embroiled in
the Vietnam war before the
American people realized
what was going on. We believe
] it Is in the public interest,
I therefore, to publish excerpts
from the secret documents.
In earlier columns, we told
how presidential adviser
Henry ,Kissinger assured re-
porters the U.S. wasn't anti-In-
dia at the earn? time he was
instructing government PolieY-
makeit to take steps against
India.
"TIM President does not
want to be evenhanded," Kis-
singer omphasized at their se-
cret ' strategy sessions. "The
Pr.:Odin:it believes India is the
atiaeker."
'Wrong Side
The State Departments pro-
fessionals argued that, mor-
ally, the tI,S, should be on the
gId e of the Bengalis, who
wanted their independence
from Pakistan. The experts
Wee Warned that President
Nixon's pko-Paitistan policy
would orile drive India into
Sevlet genie, '
:1081inger gruffly disputed
this, eaelng Of India's Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi: "The
lady In void blooded and tough
and will net turn India into a
Soviet Satellite merely be-
cause Of piette," '
lieedleg Iiisitinger and ths-
regertlinig the ' profetiSional ad-
vice, Mr. MUM took a totigli
steed at (ho United Netiteill
against India' and ordered the
Seventh Fleet to Wei a, task
forte into Indian writers.'
This Was definitely-intettddd
08 4"show of force," althbugh
the flotilla had the additional
mission of evacuating
stranded Amerieans from em-
battled Dacca if the need
arose,
Plans were Made, mente
while, to arrange provocativ
f
leaks in such places as DJ 7
kerta; Manila and. Singapore
of . the Misk Vireo's approach,
By the time the ahips had inP
setnbled in the:314111min Strait,
?
Tuesday, Pfc. 21, 1971 E 15
Frighte India
both the Indians and Soviets
were well aware they were on
the way.
This merely served to bring
India and Russia closer to-
gether: A secret intelligence
report, 'giving a "reliable" ac-
count" of Soviet Arribasiador
Nikolai Pegov's conversations
with Indian officials, declared:
. . .
"Pegov stated that Pakistan
Is trying to draw? both the
United States and China into
the present conflict. The So-
viet Union, however, does not
believe that either country
will intervene,
."According to Pegov, the
movement of the U.S. -Seventh
Fleet is an effort by the U.S.
:to bully India, to discourage it
froth striking 'against West
'Pakistan and at the Same time
to boost the morale .of the
Pakistani forees.
"Pogov 'noted: that a Soviet
fleet is now in the Indian
.factian e and that the Soviet
UtilOh" Will not allow the See-
d/All Fleet to intervene.
SO4/ tilt :Threat
ulf China should decide to
Inteteerte," said Pegov, "the
reriet Union would open a di-
Veesionary action in Sinkiang.
Pegov also commented that
after Dacca is liberated and
the Bangladesh government is
installed, both the U.S. and
China will be unable to act
and will change their current
Attitude toward the crisis."
? Another intelligence report,
giving the secret details of So-
viet Depety Foreign Minister
Vanily Kuzeetsov's mission to
India, indicates there had
been some Soviet impatience
over the pace of the Indian
blitzkreig.
Kuznetsov, after his arrival
in New Delhi on Dee. 12,111d
Indian officials that the Weni-
tin was "impatient with tha In-
dian armed forces for theli.
in-
ability to liberate Bangladesh!
within the ten-day time frame
mentioned before the out
break of hostilities"
Kuznetnev pointed out, ac-
cording to the secret report,
that Soviet opposition to
cease-fire ebecornes more
tenable the longer the war ,
goes on in the east. _
Kuznetsov said the
Soviet Union will continue to
use its veto to 'stall Any efforts -
to bring about a cease-fire for
the present, he 'stressed the
importance of quick and diei-
sive 'Indian action in liberat-
ing Bangladesh in the shortest
time possible.
"Kuznetsov delayed IIs
scheduled return to 'Moscow
beeauSe' lie is awaiting speci.t1
instructions .freim Leon i d
Brezhnev, general secretarylof
the Soviet Communist Party,
regarding India's request that
the Soviet Union sign a de-
fense agreement with the Ban-
gldesh . government after. so-
viet recognition Of Bangldesh.
"According to Kuznetshv,
Brezhnev was not in Mostow
when Kuznetsov sent him the
request for guidance." ? ?,??,,,
The American people, meat/.
while, are entitled to straight
talk from their leaders.
Refl.-Dare/Lein Svraliatte
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