পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড).pdf/৩০৯

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বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড

 শিরোনাম  সূত্র   তারিখ
মার্কিন সামরিক সাহায্য কর্মসূচির পুন: আলোচনা দাবীঃ সিনেটর মণ্ডেল-এর বিবৃতি ও চিঠি প্রেস বিজ্ঞপ্তি ৮ই এপ্রিল, ১৯৭১

 WASHINGTON, D. C., April 8-Senator Walter F. Mondale (D-Minn.) commenting on the civil strife in East Pakistan, called today for a re-examination of the United States' “entire military aid program."

 "We may well discover that most of our military aid is not only a waste of the taxpayer's money, but does more harm than good,” Mondale said in a statement released from his office, “The events in East Pakistan are one more compelling reason why the Congress must reexamine our entire military aid program."

 In a related action, Mondale and Senators Muskie, Brooke and Hatfield sent a letter to Secretary of state William P. Rogers expressing their concern, over the recent bloodshed in East Pakistan and asking him to detail “the extent, magnitude and timing" of all U. S. aid to Pakistan.

 Here is the text of Mondale's statement, followed by the letter to Rogers:

 "Like so many civil wars, the conflict in East Pakistan is a complex tragedy."

 If we are not to repeat; costly mistakes of the past, the United States must refrain from any judgments or intervention with regard to the two sides in this strife. For that reason, I strongly support the stated policy of the Administration that the United States will not interfere in the political or military aspects of the quarrel

 But non-interference must be more than diplomatic rhetoric. There is something very wrong when guns, tanks, and planes supplied by the United States are used against the very people they are supposed to protect. There is something very wrong with a military aid policy which lends itself to this travesty in so many countries around the world.

 It is one thing for the state Department to declare our neutrality. But if you are a Bengali, a Greek or a Brazilian being fire at by an American weapon or strafed by an American jet, the united states has already very much intervened in your life. We should ask why this happened in Pakistan. But frankly, there is little our Government can do now to prevent American weapons from being used as they now are being used in that country,

 We can take steps, however, to prevent the future use of American supplied weapons in such situations.

 We should look again at the whole range of our military aid programs. We should ask whether they are really serving the interests of U. S. security are they instead merely being used by one faction or another in internal disputes which do not, affect our security.