Foreign Relations,
Foreign Relations, 1969-1976, Documents on South Asia, 1969-1972
Released by the Office of the Historian
Department of
State TELEGRAM
PAGE 01
11
ACTION NEA-12
INFO
OCT-01 SSO-00 NSCE-00 INRE-00 CCO-00 DODE-00
PM-08 H-02 INR-09
L-03 NSAE-00 NSC-10 P-03 RSC-01
PRS-01 SS-14 CU-04
FBO-01 SY-07 USSS-00 OPR-02 NIC-01
EA-11 AID-20 OC-06
T-03 GAC-01 RSR-01 /121 W
096807
O 271034Z DEC 72
FM AMEMBASSY DACCA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8341
INFO USIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD IMMEDIATE
AMCONSUL CALCUTTA IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI IMMEDIATE
FROM CHARGE
SUBJ: DESTRUCTION OF
USIS CENTERS IN
REF: STATE 232100
1. MY EARLY MORNING
REQUEST FOR URGENT CALL ON FONMIN SAMAD WAS MET BY APPOINTMENT FOR 1330 THIS
AFTERNOON. ALAM (NEW DG FOR EAST, PACIFIC AND AMERICANS) AND SOBHAN WERE ALSO
PRESENT.
2. I TOLD FONMIN I HAD
LEARNED OF RAJSHAHI EVENT ONLY BY READING MORNING NEWSPAPERS AND WONDERED WHY
BDG HAD NOT SHARED POLICE REPORTS WITH EMBASSY. SAMAD AVERRED THAT HE TOO HAD
LEARNED ONLY FROM PRESS AND SHAT HE HAD IMMEDIATELY ASKED HOME MINISTER FOR
REPORT (WHICH IS STILL
PRESUMABLY NOT PREPARED).
3. I THEN EXPRESSED, ON
INSTRUCTIONS, USG'S "SERIOUS CONCERN" OVER DEVELOPMENTS CITED
4. I INFORMED FONMIN
THAT WE HAD NOW CLOSED ALL FOUR USIS CENTERS TO PUBLIC FOR "END-OF-YEAR
INVENTORY". THIS TRANSPARENT EUPHEMISM WAS NOT MEANT TO SUGGEST THAT WE
CONTEMPLATED REOPENING NEXT WEEK. RATHER, I TOLD SAMAD, WE WOULD LOOK To BDG
ADVICE AS TO WHEN MOMENT ARRIVES FOR US PRUDENTLY TO REOPEN CENTERS. SAMAD
NODDED ASSENT. WHEN I REPEATED THIS POINT AT END OF INTERVIEW, SAMAD INDICATED
TO ALAM THAT HE WAS EXPECTED TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH EMBASSY IN THIS REGARD.
5. REMAINDER OF
INTERVIEW WAS DEVOTED TO SAMAD'S ACCOUNT OF HIS ENCOUNTER WITH HOSTILE NAP
(MUSAFFAR) STUDENT GROUP IN SYLHET YESTERDAY. SAMAD, IF HE WAS QUOTING HIMSELF
ACCURATELY, DID A MASTERFUL JOB OF WRANGLING WITH STUDENTS, DEVELOPING ASTUTE
RATIONALE FOR A NON-ALIGNED, SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT'S ACCEPTING AID FROM US. (IF ONLY HE COULD MAKE SUCH A SPEECH TO PUBLIC AT LARGE.). I
CHOSE THE MOMENT TO REMIND SAMAD THAT USG IN PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO BD DID SO
IN FULL RECOGNITION OF NECESSITY FOR
6. SAMAD THEN ALLUDED TO MY DECEMBER 26 CONVERSATION. WITH FONSEC KARIM
ABOUT FY 73 AID GRANT AND INDICATED HE WAS FULLY CONSCIOUS OF IMPORTANCE OF
FAVORABLE PUBLIC CLIMATE IN US AND WITH CONGRESS.
7. SAMAD DID NOT RAISE
SUBJECT OF
8. MY GENERAL IMPRESSION
FROM INTERVIEW IS THAT SAMAD HAS GOOD INTELLECTUAL GRASP OF SITUATION,
THAT HE IS EARNESTLY TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH HIS STATED OBJECTIVES. UP TO
NOW HIS IS A LONELY STRUGGLE WITHIN THE BYZANTINE COUNCILS OF AWAMI LEAGUE. I
OF COURSE DO NOT RULE OUT POSSIBILITY THAT LOGOTHETE SAMAD'S ACCOUNT OF HIS
EFFORTS IS DISINGENUOUS.
9. ACTION REQUESTED:
DEPARTMENT AND USIA ENDORSEMENT MY INTERPRETATION THAT REOPENING OF USIS
CENTERS IN BANGLADESH DEPENDS ON DECISION OF BDG WHILE WE REMAIN READY TO DO SO
AS SOON AS BDG ADVISES US STEP WILL BE PRUDENT, BDG THEREBY IMPLICITLY TELLING
US IT IS EQUIPPED TO CARRY OUT ITS AVOWED RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT USG
PERSONNEL AND PROPERTY.
DECONTROL DECEMBER 31,
1974.
NEWBERRY