U.S. Administration Rejects Advice of Harvard Experts
WASHINGTON, July 28.-The USA apparently has rejected the advice of three Harvard experts who urged that the USA suspend all economic and military aid to Pakistan utilil the present crisis in East Bengal was resolved, reports UNI.
“The independence of East Bengal is inevitable,” concluded professors Edward S. Mason, former dean of the graduate school of public administration, Robert Dortman, professor of economics concerned with Pakistan development since 1961, and Stephen A. Marglin, another professor of economics who has advised Governments in Asia, Africa and Latin America on development. All three have been consultants to the U.S. Government, the World Bank and the U.N.
In a report concluded last April, the Harvard group declared it was only matter of time until an independent East Bengal—“Bangladesh” was produced because of the slaughter of East Bengal civilians by the Government forces.
The study said “it will be in the best interests of the USA to have friendly relations both with West Pakistan and an independent Bangladesh. It would also be in the best interests of the USA if some kind of stability could be restored to in the area, if direct conflict between India and Pakistan can be avoided and if the recourse to guerrilla movements can be avoided in the Bengal regions.”
The three experts urged that the USA should suspend all aid, both economic and military, as a first step toward restoring stability in the area. They added: “We believe that independence under the leadership of the democratically elected Awami League is the only way in which this crisis can be resolved without further bloodshed.”
U.S. officials, however, who are aware of the report, say it has no official standing. The official view is that suspension of economic-military aid has never given leverage of any significant size in any country and there is a strong tendency in react against that kind of treatment from the USA.
The USA wants to be in a position to influence the Pakistani Government in turning towards a peaceful solution. One State department official said: “We never used the world leverage, but we do want to be able to have some influence.”
At the same time. Indian diplomatic sources, indignant that the USA has continued economic and military aid to Pakistan, say that one of the factors is Washington’s strong desire to keep a channel open through Pakistan to Peking for President Nixon’s forthcoming trip to China.
While the Indians have officially welcomed the U.S. move toward normalizing relations with China, there is suspicion about the role of Pakistan.
American officials, however, say that decisions on military and economic aid to Pakistan have been made by officials who had no knowledge of President Nixon’s plans to visit Peking. Therefore, they reject the iea that there is any link between aid to Pakistan and the China trip.
U.S. economic assistance as well as military aid is under review. They say no new military commitments have been made since March 25 and several steps have been taken to curtail military shipments, where it has been possible to do so For example no new export licences have been issued. But shipments already bought and paid for and in the pipeline are not being halted. But these are “small”, according to State Department officials and consist for the most part of aircraft spare parts.
As far as economic aid is concerned, it has been difficult if not impossible to plan on-going programmes and no new assistance has yet been authorised. But there is no ban on economic aid.
Reference: Hindustan Standard 29.07.1971