পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (চতুর্দশ খণ্ড).pdf/৯৯৭

965 বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ চতুর্দশ খন্ড ৪০৫। সপ্তম নৌবহর সিঙ্গাপুরের টাইমস অব ইন্ডিয়া ১৪ ডিসেম্বর, ১৯৭১ পথে TIMES OF INDIA, DECEMBER 14, 1971 SEVENTH FLEET ON WAY TO SINGAPORE AMERICAN BID TO PLAY ON INDIA'S NERVES "The Times of India", News Service, New Delhi, December 13 While the U. N. Security Council debated a U. S. resolution calling upon India to halt its 'armed attack against Pakistan, a task force of the U. S. Seventh fleet headed by a nuclear powered aircraft cruiser headed towards Singapore from its normal station off the coast of North Viet Nam. There are also unconfirmed reports of Chinese moves, diplomatic and otherwise in certain areas. These may be intended to demonstrate Peking's solidarity with Islamabad. The Seventh Fleets task force which includes several destroyers according to an American news agency's report from Saigon, has evidently been asked to wait off Singapore. The stated reason for this movements is that the task force may have to be used to rescue stranded U. S. citizens in Dacca. As an official spokesman here acknowledged in response to persistent questions at a briefing this evening the movement of the Seventh Fleet "Would have formed part of the larger picture" discussed today with Mr. Vassil Kuznetsov. Soviet Union's first Deputy Prime Minister, by the Prime Minister and her Principal Secretary, Mr. P. N. Haskar. Psychological Pressure The official spokesman hinted that the task force might have been mounted to exert phychological pressure on India. Although he carefully refrained from making any direct criticism of the U. S. action he did say that it was hardly necessary to make a display of U. S. naval might to evacuate only a few nationals now left in Dacca. The spokesman pointed out that three RAF aircraft from the British base in Singapore and a Canadian C-130 had evacuated several hundred foreigners from Dacca yesterday under Indian safe conduct arrangement. The Government of India would be happy to provide similar facilities to the USA. Apart from the Dacca evacuation the Soviet Union appeared to be reinforcing its naval strength in the Indian Ocean. One report said quoting officers of the Seventh Fleet that the mission to the Bay of Bengal might be cancelled if evacuation of Americans in Dacca could be arranged by other means. Intervening at todays briefing a ranking Defense Ministry spokesman sought to discourage speculation about U. S. and Chinese intentions vis-a-vis the conflict in the