64. Memorandum From Robert Komer of the National Security Council Staff to President Johnson1
You’ve so shaken all of us on India/Pak policy that we want to be sure you know in advance about tomorrow’s pledging session for the 1964/65 share of the Pak Consortium. We and our friends will announce pledges of $420–430 million (about $212 million US),2 which will get a little play in Friday’s papers.
This just makes public an AID commitment already given; in fact, we’ve gotten the Paks in return to make some very sensible moves to liberalize their private sector. But we’ll also have McConaughy make the point to Ayub that we and our allies are continuing to give him major aid at the very time when he’s slanging us.
- Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Pakistan, Vol. II, Cables, 6/64–11/64. Secret; Exdis. A handwritten “L” on the memorandum indicates that it was seen by the President.↩
- The sixth meeting of the Pakistan consortium took place in Washington on July 16 at the initiative of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The meeting was attended by representatives of Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the International Development Association. The purpose of the meeting was to consider aid for the fifth year of Pakistan’s Second Five-Year Plan, covering the period July 1964–June 1965. A total of $431 million was pledged, of which the United States pledged $212.5 million.↩
- Bundy initialed below Komer’s signature.↩