Let us ask a further question: Is the Enterprise in the Bay of Bengal to “show the flag” to offset the increasing Soviet influence in India? If this is what the Commander in Chief has in mind, how far is he willing to go?—to enter the war against India?—to attack Russian ships in the area? If not, are we not engaged in an exercise in paper-tigerism?
Mr. President, I should like to point out that increasing Russian influence in India stems from an Indo-Soviet friendship treaty signed last summer when this administration had persistently refused to address itself to the situation in East Pakistan. Eight to 10 million refugees have fled to India, placing an insupportable burden on her scant resources. Did the President not have enough influence with his friends in West Pakistan to impress upon them the futility of their repression? If we had strongly condemned Pakistan's actions rather than standing silent, could we not have helped forestall the present conflict?
When India needed friends, the Russians were there and we were not. As war on the Indian subcontinent became more and more inevitable, we took no significant steps to prevent it.
Mr. President, it appears that we are taking actions which at best can only prolong the agony of East Pakistan and which at worst may involve Americans in a further shooting war in Asia.
We have acted too late to do the people of East Pakistan any good-too late to help preserve the peace-but just in time to risk turning a local war in Asia into a big-power confrontation.
It is hard, I admit, to imagine that we might now become involved, even peripherally, in another Asian war. It would be inconsistent with the President's Guam doctrine and with his hopes for a “generation of peace.” I still cannot believe that the administration wants to become involved. I am relieved that there has been no effort to invoke our treaty relationships with Pakistan, which would, in any case, require congressional approval.
But as I have watched our policy toward Pakistan and India ricochet from mistake to mistake, I have to wonder if we have the skill to avoid an accidental involvement.
The President obviously takes the Soviet role in South Asia most seriously-seriously enough so that “a high White House official” has raised the possibility the President might cancel his cherished trip to Moscow. Moreover, the dispatch of the Enterprise is a most serious step, whatever the motivation.
So my purpose today is to raise some warning flags before Members of Congress and before the American people-before we once again find that it is too late.
