Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–7, Documents on South Asia, 1969–1972
Document 5
5. Telegram 19762 From the
Department of State
to the
Embassy in Pakistan
1
2
Washington
,
February 7, 1969, 0126Z
SUBJECT:
Pakistan Ambassador’s Call on Secretary
Rogers
1.
After an exchange of preliminary remarks in which both the Secretary and Ambassador
Hilaly
touched on President
Nixon
’s keen interest in Pakistan, the Ambassador described Pakistan’s development program. He emphasized the breakthrough in agriculture, Pakistan’s increasing exports, and its achievements in light industry. He added that not only had Pakistan virtually solved its food problem, but that its exports were now 58 per cent manufactured goods and only 42 per cent raw materials.
2.
Expressing gratitude for the very large
US
assistance program in the past, the Ambassador said that this aid had made possible Pakistan’s liberal economic policy. He expressed sharp concern over decreases in recent years in the
US
aid program, saying that it had dropped from $250 million three years ago to $70 million this year. He said that
US
commodity loans and
IDA
were the only sources of “soft” aid of the kind which had made possible Pakistan’s development success. He was not optimistic about getting

significant additional funds from
IDA
and, unless some way could be found to cushion the blow of reduced
US
aid, the tempo of Pakistan’s development program would be impossible to maintain. He emphasized that Pakistan needed at least $200 million per year in “soft” aid. He asked that Secretary
Rogers
acquaint the President of Pakistan’s problem.
3.
The Ambassador touched briefly on Pakistan’s political problems, saying that President
Ayub
had fired up the people to a real development effort, but that the Government had perhaps become a bit complacent recently, and it now looked as if some changes would have to be made. He pointed out there had been no foreign policy issues raised in the present agitation in Pakistan and recommended to the Secretary the chapters on foreign policy in President
Ayub
’s book. He was sure all elements of Pakistani opinion except the extreme fringes were agreed on current foreign policy. He said it was in the
US
interest to help Asian leaders like
Ayub
who were moderate and responsible and that our two countries should discuss their problems frankly.
4.
The Secretary said that President
Nixon
and he were very conscious of Pakistan’s problems and they will certainly be studied very carefully. We know that Pakistan’s development program has been doing very well. However, many countries have aid requests and our people and our Congress are questioning aid policy very closely.They are unable to understand why many countries which seek our aid at the same time castigate the
US
and its policy. He added that a new
AID
Director had just been appointed and that a group was studying the whole aid problem.
5.
As the meeting was ending, Ambassador
Hilaly
said he wished the Secretary would

mention to President
Nixon
the problem of military supply. Pakistan has a request for five F–104 replacement aircraft pending. It also had been trying for almost two years to get one hundred secondhand tanks, about which there was a promise from President Johnson during a stopover visit to Karachi airport in December, 1967. It appeared that something was moving on one hundred tanks with Turkey now, but the Pakistan Army is getting worried after all these months of waiting. Pakistan also faces the question of decisions for the future as to where it is going to get military equipment in the years ahead. The Secretary indicated he expected to come to grips with these problems soon.
Contents
Press Release
Preface
Sources
Abbreviations