বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড)/৫২
যুক্তরাষ্ট্র
সরকারী ও কংগ্রেসের দলিলপত্র
স্বাধীন বাংলাদেশের সংগ্রামে
মার্কিন যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের ভূমিকা
| শিরোনাম | সূত্র | তারিখ |
| যুক্তরাষ্ট্র পররাষ্ট্র দপ্তর মুখপাত্রের বাংলাদেশ সংক্রান্ত বিবৃতি (সংকলিত) | পররাষ্ট্র দপ্তর | মার্চ-এপ্রিল, ১৯৭১ |
THE CRISIS IN EAST PAKISTAN
STATEMENTS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE PRESS SPOKESMEN
March 26:
"We are watching development closely with concern."
March 31:
"A ranking officer of the Embassy in Islamabad expressed our concern to a ranking official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs...that while we recognized that there was censorship in effect; we felt that the legitimate news gathering functions of American journalists had been unduly restricted."
April 2:
"We are naturally concerned at the reported loss of life, damage, and hardship suffered by the people of Pakistan."
"Now in this respect we have noted the statement yesterday by the UN Secretary General. And in this connection we would, of course, give sympathetic consideration to any international humanitarian efforts to assist that might be requested by the Government of Pakistan in line with the Secretary General's statement."
"We view what is going on in Pakistan as an internal matter."
April 5:
"It is our hope that peaceful conditions can be re-established."
"We are naturally concerned at the reported loss of life, damage and hardship suffered by the people of Pakistan. We have noted U Thant's statement of March 31 and said that we would, of course, give sympathetic consideration to any international humanitarian efforts to assist that might be requested by the Government of Pakistan in line with the secretary General's statement."
April 6:
"Naturally, as a general proposition we would be concerned if American weapons were used in circumstances such as these."
MAIN DEPARTMENT STATEMENT
April 7:
"Since the beginning of the present crisis, we have on several occasions expressed concern over the loss of life and damage which have occurred in East Pakistan, and we have expressed the hope that peaceful conditions will be restored. While we have pointed out the difficulty of obtaining reliable information on the situation, it is increasingly clear that there have been substantial casualties and damage, although we still have no way of estimating the extent of the casualties and damage with any precision;
Our sympathy goes out to the victims of recent events. Normal life in East Pakistan has been seriously disrupted. We continue to believe it is important and that every feasible step be taken to end the conflict and achieve a peaceful accommodation.
We hope that it will be possible soon to alleviate the suffering caused by recent events. In this connection, we also hope the Government of Pakistan will avail itself of offers of assistance from the international community. The United States is prepared to assist in any international humanitarian efforts of this kind. We have discussed these matters with the Government of Pakistan and we will continue to do so.
"I do not believe that there has been a request for international relief assistance from the Government of Pakistan to any patty we continue to hope that the Government of Pakistan will avail itself of the offers that are and may be forthcoming."
"We expressed shortly after the newsman were expelled our deep concern that their legitimate news-gathering functions had been inhibited and that their cameras, notes, etc., had been taken from them. We asked that this personal property be returned."
April 12:
"We do not have, as some accounts have suggested, a large on-going military assistance program with Pakistan. There has been an embargo since 1965. The onetime exception announced last October is still under discussion in terms of specifications and prices.
There is no—repeat-no equipment in the pipeline and none has been delivered under that exception. Indeed, technical talks on this subject have not been held for some six weeks.
We have had a modest program of sales, predominantly cash, to Pakistan, for non-lethal military equipment, spare parts for equipment already in Pakistani hands and some ammunition.
The agreements under which this program was worked out were arrived at well before the beginning of the present crisis, and I am not aware of any new arrangements with the Pakistan Government since the crisis began. Insofar as shipments under these agreements are concerned, we have this matter under review.
In brief, the nation that we have a 'substantial military assistance program with Pakistan is erroneous."
April 13:
"The over-all food supply in East Pakistan appears to be adequate now. Obviously, one cannot be sure there are no local shortages, but as a general proposition, we feel safe in saying there is no widespread famine. Stocks presently 700,000 tons, or 4 months supply at normal rates. Additionally, 200,000 tons on the water, much of that in East Pakistan ports. Further, 300,000 tons of U. S. grain has been authorized and will move as soon as delivery can be made. If future needs prove to be greater than this, we would, of course, consider additional PL-480 shipments. And we are in a position to move promptly if it proves necessary.
Now, the Department of Agriculture yesterday said we were advising the Government of Pakistan that we are anxious to resume shipments at the earliest possible time that port congestion in East Pakistan is eased and off-loading and distribution arranged. All this by way of saying that the problem is not supply, but off-loading facilities and distribution in East Pakistan, because rail, boat and road transport have been disrupted, and labor at the docks is largely unavailable.
Now, we have stressed to the Government of Pakistan the importance of resolving distribution problems, and we have also continued to emphasize we are prepared to support any international humanitarian efforts to provide assistance to East Pakistan." April 15:
"We have been struck by the fact that some reporting on Pakistan continues to assert that U. S. arms are flowing into Pakistan, and that U. S. food assistance is being cut off. These assertions are not true.
First, there is no widespread famine in East Pakistan, based on the best information available to us, although local shortage may exist. The problem is not supply, it is distribution and port congestion. We have taken up with the Government of Pakistan a number of times the urgent need to resolve these problems. 900,000 tons of grain, including large quantities of U. S. PL-480 wheat are either in government stocks in East Pakistan or at its ports or on the high seas. 300,000 additional tons of U. S. grain have been authorized and will move as soon as deliveries can be made, and the United States will act promptly if more is needed. We have said, and repeated our willingness to support any additional international humanitarian relief effort, and the Government of Pakistan is fully aware of our readiness to do so.
On the question of U. S. arms, the embargo has been in effect since 1965. With regard to the one-time exception announced last October, no arms have been delivered and none are in the pipeline. Since 1966-67, under the foreign military sales agreement with Pakistan, a very modest quantity of such items as communications, medical and transport equipment as well as spare parts and ammunition for arms provided prior to the 1965 embargo, have gone to Pakistan. With respect to the question of ammunition, no more than 10 or 15 per cent of the total material has been ammunition We have been informed by the Department of Defense that none of these items have been provided to the Pakistan Government of its agents since the outbreak of fighting in East Pakistan, March 25–26, and nothing is now scheduled for such delivery. In short, no arms have been provided to the Government of Pakistan since the beginning of this crisis, and the question of deliveries will be kept under review in light of developments."Refugee Problem
April 27:
"We have had a number of conversations with the India Government on this subject, both here and in New Delhi, and we will be moving as promptly as we can within the framework of some form of international effort, perhaps under the United Nations, perhaps the International Red Cross. The details are not settled.
I do understand that three-and may be more, but I know of only three-voluntary agencies-Catholic Relief Service, or Service; Church World Service; and CAREwhich have humanitarian programs in India. are, with our consent, diverting some of the commodities which they use in their normal programs to establish refugee relief programs in West Bengal, which I believe will take care of roughly 150,000 refugees in West Bengal for several weeks."
"I have seen figures, with an Indian source, which suggest that there may be on the order of half a million refugees in the States of West Bengal and Assam. But I stress that we have no independent figure of our own."