Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, South and Southeast Asia, Volume XV

350. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Policy Planning (Smith) to the Acting Secretary of State¹

Washington, April 23, 1959.

SUBJECT

• Proposed Supply of “Sidewinders” to Pakistan

1. Ambassador Bunker recommends (attached)² that pending settlement of the Indus waters issue we defer any decision to furnish Pakistan with more modern aircraft or “Sidewinders”. He recommends that we try then to work out an arms limitation understanding between Pakistan and India.

2. I support Bunker’s recommendations.

3. An agreement to deliver “Sidewinders” to Pakistan would be one way in which we might well defeat the IBRD’s efforts to effect a settlement of the Indus waters problem.

4. I am not unmindful of the persuasiveness of the Pakistani case as a result of the recent Canberra incident.

5. Now seems like a good time to call a halt to a further arms spiral and to summon our influence in respect of each country toward some form of détente and plan of arms limitation. While we should first, as Ambassador Bunker recommends, permit the IBRD to move forward toward an Indus waters settlement, it is not too soon to commence planning toward the desired sequel to that event.³

1. Source: Department of State, S/P Files: Lot 67 D 548, Pakistan. Secret. Drafted by Henry C. Ramsey of S/P. Copies of this memorandum were sent to Murphy, Rountree, and Adams.
2. Reference is to telegram 2428, supra.
3. On May 1, Dillon made the following handwritten comment on the source text: “In the absence of new information of which I am unaware, I agree with Bunker. Any commitment to Pakistan should have my prior clearance.”