Department of State TELEGRAM

Department of Stat e

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P R 101 1262 APR 7 2 FMAMCONSUL DACC A TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 564 0 INFO AMEMBASSY ISLAMABA D AMCONSUL CALCUTT A AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI

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SUBJECT : DELIVERY OF PRESIDENTIAL LETTER T O BANGLADE SH PRIME MINISTE R 1 . SHORTLY AFTER MY RETURN TO DACCA ON MORNIN G SATURDAY, APRIL 8 . I WAS ASKED TO CALL ON FOREIG N MINISTER ABDUS SAMAD AS PRELIMINARY T0 MY MEETIN G WITH BD PRIMIN SHEIKH MUJIB RAHMAN . SAMAD RECEIVE D ME TOGETHER WITH FOREIGN SECRETARY KARIM, AND TH E CONVERSATION (WITH ONE EXCEPTION W HICH WILL B E SUBJECT SEPTEL) RESTRICTED TO PLEASANTRIES AND T O DISCUSSION OF PROCEDURAL STEPS TO BE TAKEN I N ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN U S AND BD .

2 . PRIMIN MUJIB RECEIVED MEAT 1930 HOURS IN HI S OFFICIAL RESIDENCE, FORMERLY "PRESIDET' S HOUSE" . SINCE AWAMI LEAGUE COUNCIL MEETING IN PROGRESS A T THAT TIME . SHEIKH HAD TO ABSENT HIMSELF FRO M PROCEDULAR FOR MY CALL, AND HE WAS OBVIOUSLY EAGE R TO RETURN TO THIS IMPORTANT POLITICAL MEETING A S

SOON AS POSSIBLE . DESPITE THIS HIS RECEPTION O F ME WAS WARMS FRIENDLY AND ENTIRELY DEVOID O F FORMALITY .

DECLASSIFIED PA/HO, Department of State E.O. 12958, as amended June 9, 2005

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3. MUJIB OPENED AND READ PRESIDENT NIXON'S LETTE R : AS SOON AS I HANDED IT TO HIM, AND HE EXPRESSE D APPRECIATION FOR ITS FRIENDLY TONE . HE SAID THA T HE THOROUGHLY RECIPROCATED PRESIDENT'S DESIRE T O ESTABLISH, DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN OUR TW O COUNTRIES AT EMBASSY LEVEL AND THAT GOBD W OULD MOV E IMMEDIATELY TO ESTABLISH ITS EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON . I TOLD HIM THAT I HAD BEEN DISCUSSING WITH FONMI N SAMAD TECHNICAL PROCEDURE WHICH WOULD BE REQUIRED . AND HE SAID THAT THESE WOULD BE ACCOMPLISHED WIT H ALL EXPEDIATION ON THE SD SIDE . 4.

MUJIB THEN SAID HE WAS VERY HAPPY THAT USG HA D TAKEN STEP OF RECOGNITION ; HE HAD ALL ALONG BEE N AWARE OF GREAT SYMPATHY IN THE US FOR THE PEOPLE O F BD IN THEIR DIFFICULTIES DURING THE PAST EIGHTEEN . MONTHS AND HE NOW LOOKED FORWARD TO THE MOST FRIENDL Y FUTURE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES AT BOT H OFFICIAL AND POPULAR LEVELS . I ASSURED HIM THAT US G FULLY SHARED HIS VIEW AND THAT WE WOULD CONTINU E TO ASSIST IN THE INTERNATIONAL EFFORT TO HEL P BD THROUGH ITS PRESENT DIFFICULT PERIOD . MUJI B SAID HE WAS FULLY AWARE OF THE MAGNITUDE OF U S ASSISTANCE TENDERED THROUGH UNITED NATIONS AND H E ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WITHOUT . THAT ASSISTANCE SITUATIO N IN BD WOULD BE MUCH WORSE THAT LT, I . S . ASIDE FROM BRIEF REFERENCE TO PLIGHT OF BENGALEE S IN PAKISTAN AND HIS HOPE THAT USG AND OTHER FRIENDL Y GOVTS WOULD SEEK PERSUADE GOP TO ALLOW THESE T O RETURN TO THEIR HOMES, SHEIKH BROUGHT UP NO MATTER S OF SUBSTANCE, FOR MY PART, I ALSO REFRAINED FRO M SUBSTANTIVE INITIATIVES, MERELY SAYING THAT I LOOKE D FORWARD TO HAVING USEFUL DISCUSSIONS WITH MEMBERS O F 8D CABINET AND HIGH OFFICIALS DURING NEXT FE W

SHEIKH SAID HE HOPED TO SEE ME AGAIN HIMSEL F IN NEAR FUTURE AND URGED THAT I CALL ON HIM WHENEVER WEEKS .

DECLASSIFIED PA/HO, Department of State E.O. 12958, as amended June 9, 2005

I FEEL SLIGHTEST INCLINATION TO DO SO . SHEIKH ASKE D WHETHER THERE WAS ANY PROBLEM ABOUT COMMUNICATIN G REPORT OF OUR INTERVIEW TO PRES, AND I ASSURED HI M THERE WAS NONE ON MY PART TO SUCH REPORT INCLUDING , IF HE DESIRED, CONTENTS OF PRESIDENT'S LETTER , SHEIKH THANKED ME FOR THIS AND SAID THAT HE FEL T PEOPLE OF BD WOULD AP RECIATE WARM AND FRIENDLY TO NE OF LETTER . EXEMP T SPIVACK

DECLASSIFIED PA/HO, Department of State E.O. 12958, as amended June 9, 2005