UJ ua Authority Nr Jv CP 1 0 Department of State ·-- AMIMBASsY VIENNA CO N'lROI 1 R 0712402 OCT 78 FM AMEMBASSY NE• DELHI TO RUEHC SECSTATE WASHDC 4056 INFO RUSBAY AMCONSUL BO AY 86 3 RUQVGM AMEMBASSY RAWALPINDI 2447 RUFKAU AMEMBASSY VIENNA 71 RUFHGV US ISSIOff GENEVA 551 RUEHDT USUN NE YORK 737 RUSBTA AMCONSUL CALCUTTA 5433 RU56AS AMCONSUL MADRAS 4188 BT CONFIDE H T I AL EW DELHI 12450 10•255 JIICI t OCT 8 1970 06 2 AC'lIOlf I MIAA-8 INPO AMB DCM p B PR RP PILBS DEPARTMENT PASS USAEC SU8JECT1 GOI S PNE INTENTION5 0 REfS A STATE 160 91J 8 NEW OELHI l0014J KGL NEW DELHI 104836 I OUR RECENT DISCUSSIONS WITH INDIAN SCIENTIFIC CO MUNITY POLITICIANS AND PRESS•• INCLUDING OTA LY CONVERSATIONS WITH H N SETHNA DIRECTOR 6HA6HA ATOMIC RESEARCH C£NTER AND K SUBRAHMANYA DIRECTOR INSTITUTE FOH DEFE CE ANALYSES•• CONFIRM li PRESSION REF B AND C GOI HAS fH ITHER EMBARKED ON DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVES NOR DON MUCH MORE THAN TALK ASOUT NECESSITY TO STUDY Pt E TECHNOLOGY SERIOUSLY• 2 GOI HAS EVINCED INTEREST IH POSSIBLE PNE FREQUENTLY SINCE 1964 PRI E MINISTER•s AND SARABHAI•s STATEMENTS THIS SUMMER SHOULD PROBABLY BE UNDERSTOOD AS A AN ATTEMPT TO UY THIE FOR GOI WITH PARLIMlEUTARlANS AND INTELLIGENTSIA DEMANDING GREAJEH IND AN RESEARCH EFFORTS IN NUCLEAR FIELD AND B INDICATIOH GENUrnE 601 INTEREST IN ADVANCING FRONTIERS INDIA•S NUCLEAR KNOWLEDGEDO THAT IF SECURllY DEFENSE SITUATION LATER WARRANTS INUIA COULD UNDERTAKE SPEEDY NUCLEAR WEAPO S BSSLOP ENT NOTEWORTHY HOWEVER THAT RS GANDHI SEEMINGLY HAS UOT WAVERED IN DERTERMINATION NOT MANUFACTURE NUCLEAR WEAPONS AT GAUHATI ASSA PRESS CONFERENCE OCTOilER SHE REPORTLDL1 REPLIED TO QUESTON ON NUCLEAR INTENTIONSs n E HAVE GONE INTU ALL ASPECTS AND WE DO t OT THIHK IT WILL BE IN INTEREST OF DEFENSI Oi 0 i ·•• Authority Af_ 'i Co t O DeptvJment of State I r- CONPIDBNTIAL PAGE 2 10•255 ci •iinoarroci OTHERWISE TO MANUFACTURE ATO bO us 05T cou TRIES TODAY NAKING STOCKP ILES OF ATOPIIC PuWER SIC AS l'iATTER OF PRESTIGE • ALSO NOTE CA 1'1RS GANDHI ANO SARA HAI HAVE SAID EXPLlCITY •MUCH STUDY• N£CESSARY bEFORE IiDIA COULD UNDERTAKE UNDERGROUND TEST AND PnIME lNlSTER•s REPEATED DENIAL THAT INDIA PLANS EXPLOSIO BEFORE hESt GENERAL ELECTION 3 aECAUSE OF INDIGENOUS PRESSUHES ON GOI TO STEP UP NUCLEAR RESEARCH GOI MAY ELL BEGIN SERIOUS STUDY OF UNDERGROUND BLAST TECHNOLOGY AS wlLL AS ECONOPIIC BENEFITS AND DISADVANTAGES MEA• UN DIVISION RECENTLY TOLD E BOFF THAT DURING PRESENT UNGA SESSION GOI WILL ATTEMPT FEEL OUT flUCLEAR POWERS OH ECONOMIC bENEFITS OF PNE AND ON TH IR LIKELY REACTION TO AN Loc·s READ INDIA PNe NEW DELHI A- 95 ALSO FON IN SWARAN SIHGH•S RE ARKS IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADDRESS OCT 2 MADE EXPLICIT Go1•s INTEREST IN STUDYING THIS TECHNOLOGY EMBASSY UNA ARE IF USG HAS EVER EXPLAINED UlffECTLY TO GOI US POSITION THAT NUCLEAR EXPLOSIO S FOR PEACEFUL USES AND FOR lr EAPO rn Dt VELOPMF HT INOISTINGU1SHA8LE AND THAT CONSEQUEtlTLY INDIA•S USE OF US fWCLEAR __A I AHCE_ l D VELOPMENT PNE WOULD V_l_O_LA_T_r_ · _u_s-_G_O_I_ _---a ------ DE LA 0 lJ'IJ U Authority N rvP 1 0 p '2 AJr _fltlll lll lt ll UJ c A Jl f t • _ CONPIDBNTIAL PAQB 10-255 cio diiixitio - AGREEMENTS WE RECALL THAT DURING EXTENSIVE NPT DISCUSSIONS IN WASHINGTON AND GENEVA THESE POINTS ADE TO GOI AT LEAST INFERENTIALLY ALSO SOME RECENTLOCAL EDITOR IAL COMMENT ON POSSIBILITY OF INDIAN PHE HAS STATED THAT USE OF FOREIGN•SUPPLIEO TECHHOLOGY WOULD BE CONSIDERED BY SUPPLIERS ABROGATION OF ASSISTANCE AGREEMENTS HOWEVE Rt SOPIE DAE OFFICIALS HAVE IN PAST HINTED TO A ERICANS AND TOLD CANADIANS DIRECTLY THAT 601 DOES NOT AGREE THAT NPT COVERS ASSISTANCE AGREE ENTS SIGNED PR10R TO ITS ENTRY lr TO FORCE AUD THAT IN ANY CASE NPT ITSELF PROMISES TREATY WILL NOT aE USED TO INHIBIT •PEACEFUL• NUCLEAR DEVELOP ENT 6Y NON•NUCLEAR WEAPONS COUNTRIES CANADIANS SAY THEY TAKE SAME POSITION ON USE OF CANADIAN-SUPPLIED TECHNOLOGY FUR PNl AS DOES us BECAUSE GOI PROBABLY RECOG IZES us POSITION ON PNE IND POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES FOR FUTURE lNDO•US NUCLEAR CCCOPEATION IF INDIA USED US-SUPPLIED TECH OLOGY TO DEVELOP EXPLOSIVE DEVICES GOl wOULD uOUolLESS PREFER SHOULD IT DEC IDE TO PRODUCE NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVES TO FIND ANOTHER WA't TO ACC011PLISH PUJTO SE IF ALTERNATIVE TO FOREIGN•SUPPLIED MATERIAL TECHNOLOGY UNAVAILABLE HOWEVERp E THINK GOI wOULD fROCEED USING -WHATEVJ R AT ITS DISPOSAL ON GROUNDS EXPLOSIVES TO E USEO FOR •PEACEFUL PURPOSES 5 WE WOULD PREFER NOT TO MAKE HIGH-LEVEL APPROACH TO 601 RE US VIEWS ON US-SUPPLIED TECHNOLOGY bEFORE THERE IS REAL EVIDENCE OF' INDIAN INTEHTIONS AND TIMETABLE FOR DEVELOPING BLAST TECHNOLOGY INUIANS WOULD PROBABLY SEE OUR DEMARCHE AS ARISING FROM PAKISTANI IMPORTUNINGS AND MIGHT RELATE IT PSYCHOLOGICALLY TO DISPARATE ISSUES IT NOT IN US INTEREST TO H VE LINKED HOWlVER US SHOULD CONTINUE TO PRObE GO INTENTIO S IN NEW DELHI GENEVA VIENNA AND NEW YORK CPARTI ULARLY DURING PRESENT GA SINCE INDIM S tlAVE CHOSEN THAT FOR l'I T GIVE HlGHaLEVEL EXPRESSION TO THEIR INTEREST 1 PNE s SHOULD MA E POINT ON APPROPRIATE OCCASIONS THAT WE STRONGLY BELIEVE SPIRIT OF NPT INVEIGHS IIGAlNST DEVELOPMENT BY NON-NUCLEAR WEAPONS STATES OF NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVE DEVICES 1 EVEN FOR UNDERGROUND BLAST FOR PEACEFUL PURPOS S Wl SHOULD ALSO EMPHASIZE COROLLARY THAT WE WOULD CONSIDER SUCH USE CONFIDENTIAL r __ ____ Authority t Jy g 'l O I I Department of Stat e r - _ -----------------COHPIDBNTIAL PAGE 4 10•255 iiiiiioii OF US T-E CKNOLOGY ASROGATlON OF EXISTING US-GOI AGREEMENTS SPECIFICALLY USAEC M£M EffS IN MEETING WITH VIKRA SARA KAJ SHOULD EXPLAIN TO Kl DIRECTLY RELATIONSHIP AS US SEES IT A O G US•GOI AGREEMENTS MPT AND PNE IM ADDITIONt WE SHALL PlSCUSS THESE RELATIONSHIPS AT EA WORKI G LEVEL 6 BELIEVE PAKISTAN MISTAKEN IF IT SJ RIOUSLY BELIEVES GA RESOLUTION ON PN WOULU STRENGTHEN ANTI•NUCLEAR WEAPONS FORCES IN INDIA CUSUN 2028 MORE LIKELY PAKISTANI• SPONSORED RESOLUTION OULD CUT GROUND FROM UNDER THEM PRO-BOMB INDIANS WOULD ARGUE THAY RESOLUTIO COMING IN YEAR HEN CKICOMS EXPECTED TO TEST ICaM FURTHER EVIDENCES SINO•PAK COLLUSION TO INHI IT ADEQUATE INDIAN DEFENSE KEATI G BT I 080910 rk CONlfmENTIAL -·