U.S. OFFICIAL HOLDS TALKS IN INDIA ON AID ROW

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100020061-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 17, 2012
• Sequence Number: 61
• Publication Date: October 23, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/17: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100020061-2
(S'c R; ''~ -~? WASHINGTON POST
23 October 1984
U 3. Official Holds Talks
1
61
~Aid
~' -nos Supply to Pakistan at Issue
By 1 illiam Claiborne
C,'a!hin'ton Post Foreign Service
intelligence community stemmed
from a c ou ormation over a art
Interpreted by .Indian officials as
an attempt to portray India as'an
aggressor and thereby justify U.S.
acquiescence to a Pakistani request
for E2C Hawkeye aircraft. equipped
with early warning radar systems,
Hinton's speech prompted a partic-
ularly strong official Indian protest.
While the view in the U.S. Em-
bassy here is that Hinton's remark
was misinterpreted and taken out of
context, it was linked in the official
Indian government statement with
a condemnation of statements made
to reporters in Washington by For-
eign Minister Sahabzada Yaqub
Khan that Pakistan continues to
regard the possibility of Indian air
strikes as a serious threat.
A transcript of Hinton's speech
to the Pakistan Council on Security
Studies in Lahore shows that in a
question-and-answer session after
the speech, the ambassdor was
asked if he could give assurances
that, if Pakistan were attacked, the
United States "has the means to
come immediately to its aid before
it is wiped out."
According - to the transcript, the
ambassador replied that while there
was no way he could give a categorical
assurance, "I think we could be re-
sponsive very quickly, would want to
be responsive very quickly to contin.
gencies from the west," apparently
referring to Soviet-occupied Afghan.
istan and the Soviet Union.
He added, "I think if the contin-
gency you're talking about is from
the east, then as I said earlier, we
will not be neutral if th
NEW DELHI, Oct. 22-U.S. As- satellite from-spotting d twos uad-
sistant Secretary of State Richard rons of India n r orce Inn- ar
W. Murphy met with Indian officials fighter-bombers where they should
here yesterday and today in an at- have been.
tempt to smooth over a series of d of the reported redeploy
controversies arising out of the ment of the low-level attack squad-
chronically uneasy U.S.-India-Pak- rons was coupled with reports that
istan triangle. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi alleg-
Although Murphy's visit appar- edly had received recommendations
ently was at least partially success- from senior advisers that India con-
ful, comments by Indian officials duct an air raid to prevent Pakistan's
afterward indicated that apprehen- development of nuclear weapons.
sions remain strong over a per- ' Despite denials by State Depart-
ceived increase in U.S. military aid ment spokesman John Hughes that
to Pakistan. conflict between India and Pakistan
.. Following meetings between Mur- was considered to be imminent,
.phy, assistant secretary for Near tensions between the two countries
Eastern and South Asian affairs, and increased.
Indian Foreign Secretary Maharaj- Indian officials interpreted the tim-
krishsa Rasgotra, the Indian govern- ing of the intelligence leak as designed
ment warned tonight that U.S. supply to influence the U.S. Congress to aro-
cf new types of sophisticated weapons vide all the military aid 'promised to
to Pakistan will "escalate tensions and Pakistan under the $3.2 billion ?five-
set off a fresh arms race in the Sub- year assistance Package and even
continent." justify an increase in sales of sophis-
The Indian Foreign Ministry ticated weapons
spokesman, Salman Haidar, said On the heels of that controversy
Murphy's meetin
with R
g
asgotra was a report by the Washington
were conducted with "
d
d
can
or an
friendship" and had resulted in a
"better opportunity for understand-
ing each other's viewpoint."
But, when asked if India had been
.assured on the arms supply issue,
.the spokesman replied, "There was
.,no question of assurances in this
regard .... our concern was ex-
pressed and taken note of."
The current controversy bean
last mont - wit -skublished leaks
from the Senate Select Committee
on me igence about a CIA briefing
on the possibility of an Indian org-
emptive air strike against Pakis-
tan's nuclear installation at..Kahuta.
According to reports from Wash-
ington, the scare within the U S.
e ban act,
correspondent of the Pakistani committed by anybody,ro
f flagrant
Urdu-language daily, Nawai Wagt
aggression
The
'
ll
,
.
re
s a
kinds of
citing sources close to the White things we can do and would do.
House, that President Reagan had Whether they would be effective,
written to Pakistani President Mo- arrive in time, is a very complex
hammed Zia ul-Haq offering Pak- equation. I am hoping and I really
istan a "nuclear umbrella." The U.S. think, that neither of these contin-
Embassy here quickly denied the gencies is going to arise.
report, and the Indian government "I think precisely because every-
said it had received no information body is so tense and that there is a
on the claim. But it fueled intense sense of insecurity, that the policy of
speculation in the Indian press. the government of Pakistan to pursue
The sharpest official Indian re-' a nonprovocative policy toward India
action, however, came over a state- and not to retaliate to the attacks suf-
ment made on Oct. 10 by the U.S. fered on its western frontiers is a sen-
ambassador to Pakistan, Deane R. sible policy," Hinton said.
Hinton, assuring Pakistan that the. The remarks by the outspoken en-
United States would come to its aid voy are known to have caused con-
if attacked by India. sternation in the State Department.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/17: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100020061-2