Kissinger on Bangladeshi and Pakistani Nukes

I get the feeling that this was meant in jest, but according to “this”:http://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1969-76ve08/d183 1974 memo of a meeting between US and Pakistani officials, Henry Kissinger had the following exchange with then-Prime Minster Zulfikar Ali Bhutto:

bq.. Bhutto:But don’t you come from New Delhi thinking that India is really expansionist?

Kissinger: After seeing India, I am thinking about *supplying nuclear weapons*, not only conventional arms, to *Pakistan and even Bangladesh!*

p. Likewise, I assume the below exchange between Kissinger and then-Paksitani Foreign Minster Aziz Ahmed (described in “this”:http://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1969-76ve08/d210 1975 MEMCON) wasn’t serious, but I don’t know enough about the history of the bilateral relationship to be certain:

bq.. Ahmed: We have submitted to you two lists of arms we need.

Kissinger: I hope the *nuclear weapons are on the second list.*

Ahmed: *They are on the third list;* we have the Pershing on the second list.

Kissinger: The Pershing issue is a big fraud. We never had any intention of giving it to Israel in any foreseeable time frame. The people who are pushing all this are the pro-Israelis who want to lock us into commitments to Israel. But you didn’t want it anyway.

Ahmed: No, *only the nuclear weapons.*

Kissinger: *The 1960 models are in surplus now so we should be able to give you some* —but I had better watch what I say since there is no telling what you might report back to Bhutto.

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