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December 15, 1995

Draft State Department Telegram to US Embassy Beijing, 'Possible Indian Nuclear Test'

This document was made possible with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY)

The State Department writes to Islamabad urging Pakistan to not react if in fact India chooses to launch a nuclear test. On 15 December the New York Times published a story by Tim Weiner, under the headline “US Suspects India Prepares to Conduct Nuclear Test.” While some Indian journalists and policy experts were convinced that the story was a US government plant, Weiner had simply used due diligence in pursuing a lead from a non-government expert on nuclear proliferation issues. Worried that the story would exacerbate regional tensions by encouraging Pakistan to “act in a manner that jeopardizes our nonproliferation efforts in South Asia,” the Department wanted to enlist the Chinese to encourage the Pakistanis to “exercise restraint in response to these reports.”


Document Information

Source

Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) Request to the U.S. Department of State, Case No. M-2009-00895, Released 8/15/2012. Contributed by William Burr, National Security Archive.

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Original Uploaded Date

2013-02-21

Type

Telegram

Language

Record ID

116342

Original Classification

Secret

Donors

Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY)