From The Hindu, May 8, 1975: “No U.S. Arms sale to Pak. after lifting of embargo”

Calcutta, May 7: The U.S. Ambassador to India, Mr. William Saxbe said here to-day that no arms had been sold or shipped to Pakistan by his Government since its lifting of embargo on the sales.

“Nor there have been any talk or request from Pakistan for U.S. arms,” he told newsmen during a brief halt at Calcutta airport on his way to Bhutan from Delhi.

Mr. Saxbe said it should be made clear that the embargo imposed unilaterally by his Government on Pakistan and India had been lifted for both the countries. U.S. arms sales “is now open for both India and Pakistan,” he said.

But Pakistan and India, Mr. Saxbe said, had been “buying lot of arms from other countries. Pakistan had bought arms worth $350 millions from France and India had been buying arms from many countries for many million dollars.”

Mr. Saxbe told a questioner that there was “great hope” for improvement in Indo-U.S. relations. When a correspondent asked what was the basis of his hope he replied “It will be to the mutual benefit of the two countries.”

Asked about the proposed visit of President Ford to India, Mr. Saxbe said he had no definite information about it yet.

“I do not know whether there will be any change in the programme of Mr. Ford who is now scheduled to visit the Soviet Union and China.” Asked about reports that Indian leaders’ anti-US statements had created adverse reaction in Washington, as a result of which President Ford might cancel his visit to India, Mr. Saxbe said he had no comments to make. Mr. Saxbe hoped the Indo-US trade would expand and said the most important thing for increasing the trade was the efforts on the part of India to merchandise its products.