Nixon and Kissinger on The Concert for BanglaDesh
Source: Nixon Presidential Materials Project, Conversation Oval 553
August 2, 1971, 9:45 AM, Oval Office, The White House. The Concert for Bangla Desh
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The former Beatle George Harrison, encouraged by Ravi Shankar, organized “The Concert for Bangladesh” to raise money for the refugees created by the political turmoil in East Pakistan. The day after the historic concert, Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss the refugee situation in East Pakistan and the potential for war between India and Pakistan. Among the issues covered in the conversation are distribution of economic assistance and food aid, the stopping of American aid to India if a war is started, and the suggested ramifications if the U.S. was to “screw Pakistan too outrageously.”