444 ংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খন্ড শিরোনাম সূত্র তারিখ এন্টারপ্রাইজ বঙ্গোপসাগরে কেন? সিনেটর সিনেটের কার্যবিবরণী ১৫ ডিসেম্বর, ১৯৭১ ইগলটন- এর বক্তৃতা S 21,694 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE December 15, 1971 U.S. Intervention in Indo-Pak War? Mr. EAGLETON. Mr. President, why is the U.S. carrier Enterprise in the Bay of Bengal? Why is an American task force reportedly steaming toward Asia's newest shooting war? The fact that the Enterprise is in the Bay of Bengal seems indisputable. Marvin Kalb of CBS, so reported this morning. The administration's official comment remains "no comment," and under the circumstances this can only be taken as confirmation. Secretary Laird, in his Monday statement that he would not comment on ship movements, did allude to "certain contingency plans that would cover evacuation situations." At first reading, one would normally take this to mean evacuation of Americans, and no one disputes the President's established right of rescue. The Americans remaining in Dacca, however, apparently are there voluntarily. This morning's New York Times reports that Forty-seven Americans were among the foreign nationals who had chosen to remain in Dacca instead of joining air evacuation of foreigners from the beseiged East Pakistan capital. Perhaps there are other Americans elsewhere in East Pakistan who might need to be rescued. But could the Secretary have had reference to the evacuation of other American citizens? Is the Enterprise steaming toward East Pakistan with contingency plans for the rescue, for example, of West Pakistani troops? This might sound like an act of mercy at first blush, although one could ask where the administration's mercy was when these same soldiers were butchering Bengalis in East Pakistan. Actually intervention to rescue Pakistani soldiers would be an act of war against India, which doubtless wants to hold as many captives as possible as a pawn for later negotiations. Whatever the Pentagon's intentions regarding the rescue of Pakistani soldiers. Mr. President, I would like to point out that the Pakistani high command undoubtedly thinks and hopes the presence of the Enterprise will somehow relieve its garrisons in East Pakistan-which means that these garrisons will be ordered to hold out-which means that there is certain to be more killing than necessary. Would it not have been more humane to stay out of this situation completely, and press the Indians to accept the good offices of the Red Cross for the protection of any and all Pakistani prisoners they may capture?
