American officials over the weekend condemned India because-to use the words, of one unnamed State Department source-'India wanted to move too rapidly for the process of political evolution in East Pakistan which the United States was promoting.” What is too rapid in a crisis that has festered 8 long months-where in refugee camps children are dying at the rate of 4,300 each day, and countless thousands more go without food or shelter. Perhaps if Americans were faced with starving and wounded refugees pouring over our borders at the rate of 45,000 each day, we, too, might then move rapidly.
Although the resort to armed force to settle international disputes can never, of course, be condoned, we cannot but be dismayed that the situation in South Asia has been neglected to the point where both Pakistan's and India's armed forces are now involved in the fighting launched by President Yahya Khan attack on the night of March 25. But to now assign “blame", in the way that this administration has, is not only counter- productive, but dishonest.
The rationalizations stated this week by White House spokesmen leave several erroneous impressions, Mr. President, as well as deliberately misrepresent certain facts. For example, the assertion that the Government of Pakistan agreed “in principle to negotiations with Bangladesh representatives, and, that the United States offered a “plan' to India to avoid war and provide negotiations.
Well, the facts are now coming out, and they document that the scenario of events was far more complicated than these spokesmen would have us believe and the so-called plan for negotiations was something less than concrete. In fact, official reports from the field indicate that at no time did President Yahya Khan ever agree, without many qualifications, to a pledge to undertake negotiations with high-level Bangladesh representatives. More importantly, at no time has President Yahya Khan agreed to release or even to directly negotiate with Sheikh Mujib-the man who remains at the heart of the East Bengal crisis.
More distressing still, Mr. President, is the evidence of Pakistani intransigency reported this week by the distinguished senior Senator from Ohio, who recently returned from a visit to both India and Pakistan. In reporting on his visit, Senator SAXBE states, and I quote:
I suggested to President Yahya that he proceed with granting at least a degree of autonomy to East Pakistan. He told me he was willing to do this and he seemed very sincere. But 10 hours later, Pakistani planes bombed six military airfields inside India and this, in turn, triggered a land invasion by India.
Yahya Khan lied to me. He had planned that bombing mission at the time he talked to me. I believe the shooting war could have been averted and India could have been kept from launching an invasion if Pakistan had granted autonomy to East Pakistan.
Equally as disturbing, Mr. President, are reports yesterday from officials in the field that indicate that as long ago as the middle of October, the U.S. Ambassador to India was instructed to call upon the Indian Foreign Minister in new Delhi to warn India that American sources predicted that Pakistan planned to escalate tensions along the western
