1 4 N0 Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 09 NLC-131-6-5-13-0 ll Sig-A7175 - 9430 ouroomc go - 3' 14 37 mans m 9' - -- CHRON NATQR NEH I HASHDC IMMEDIATE DEPT PASS HOUSE 12356 OADR L- E TAGS PRELI IN OPDC LETTER FROM PRIME MINISTER GANDHI FOR PRESIDENT REAGAN 1 SECRET ENTIRE TEXT 2 THE PRIME MINISTER CALLED ME TO HIS HOUSE AT 7 LOCAL TIME TO HAND ME A LETTER ADDRESSED TO PRESIDENT HE ASKED ME TO CONVEY IT WITHOUT DELAY IT DEALS IN PART WITH THE PROBLEMS WHICH MIGHT BE IN INDO-U S RELATIONS IF THE SENATE AMENDMENT 1TO THE CONTINUING RESOLUTION HERE TO BE ADOPTED No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 09 N0 Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 09 191 a 12-17 OF STATE I a 3 BEGIN TEXT NEW DELHI DECEMBER 4 1987 DEAR MR PRESIDENT I THANK YOU FOR THE WARM SENTIMENTS EXPRESSED IN YOUR LETTER OF NOVEMBER 2 I GREATLY ENJOYED THE OPPORTUNITY OF MEETING YOU AGAIN IT WAS A BRIEF BUT PRODUCTIVE VISIT 5 MY DISCUSSIONS WITH YOU MR PRESIDENT AND YOUR COLLEAGUES HELPED BOTH SIDES TO HAVE A BETTER APPRECIA- TION OF EACH PERCEPTIONS AND CONCERNS SINCE THEN THERE HAVE BEEN CONTINUING EXCHANGES ON BILATERAL AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES WE VALUE THIS INTERACTION OUR DISCUSSIONS ON AFGHANISTAN- REVEALED SEVERAL SHARED I OBJECTIVES AFGHANISTAN IS OUR CLOSE NEIGHBOUR - INDIA HAS A VITAL INTEREST IN FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS IN THAT COUNTRY FOLLOWING OUR TALKS IN WASHINGTON WE UNDERTOOK SIVE INTERNAL EXERCISES TO EVALUATE SCENARIOS AND OPTIONS IN AFGHANISTAN WE ALSO HAD INFORMAL EXCHANGES WITH DIFFERENT GROUPS CONCERNED WITH THE SITUATIONS INCLUDING 1 THE AFGHAN LEADERS IN THE PRESENT GOVERNMENT WE HAD KEPT OURSELVES INFORMED OF THE TREND OF DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN MR VORONTSOV AND MR ARMACOST IN GENEVA THE VISIT OF PREMIER GAVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE SERIOUS AND EXTENDED DISCUSSIONS ON WHAT CAN BE DONE TO RESOLVE THE KEY I WAS ENCOURAGED TO LEARN FROM MR THAT THE SOVIET UNION TO FIND A WAY TO ENABLE AN EARLY WITHDRAWAL OF THEIR 3 TROOPS EQUALLY IMPORTANT THE SOVIET UNION SHARED OUR ASSESSMENT THAT ONLY A REALISTICALLY BALAN ED AND REPRESENTATIVE COALITION GOVERNMENT IN AFGHANISTAN IB STABILITY IN THE REGION THERE IS SCOPE FOR OPTIMISM ON POSITIVE FORWARD MOVEMENT IN REGARD TO THIS LONG STANDING PROBLEM JNTINUA HON FORD No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 09 I 1 mfg-pi - - mm 1m w No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 09 NLC-131-6-5-13-0 DEPARTMENT OF STATE a THERE IS COMMON GROUND BETHEEN THE TED SOVIET UNION IN THAT BOTH DESIRE AN INDEPENDENTAFGHANISTAN -BOIH HHICH HOULD LEAD TO LARGE- BLOODSHED AND CIVIL STRIPE THESE ARE ALSO OUR g HE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF CONTACTING VARIOUS APGHAN GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS HITHIN AND OUTSIDE THAT COUNTRY HE HOPE THAT IT HILL BE POSSIBLE TO UORK FOR S95 THE FORMATION OF A BROADBASED COALITION GOVERNMENT IN HHICH REFLECTS THE REALITIES ON THE GROUN FOR AN-ARRANEEMENT IN NHICH THE LIBERAL MODERATE AND DEMOCRATIC FORCES ARE IN AN INFLUENTIAL i POSITION HE Do THINK THAT IT IS IN OUR INTEREST AS 3 WELL AS YOURS T0 A SITUATION THE FUNDAMEN- 153 TALIST ELEMENTS GAIN AN UPPER HAND IN AFGHANISTAN EFFORTS TO BRING PEACE AND STABILITY IN OUR AREA 3 NOULD BE INCOMPLETE HITHOUT DIRECTLY ADDRESSING THE 11 DANGER ARISING FROM DETERMINED GUEST FOR I AM DISTRESSED AT THE TENOR AND FOCUS OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS RECENTLY PROPOSED IN A COMMITTEE OF 333 THE U S SENATE I AM AFRAID THIS KIND OF APPROACH BASIC ISSUES5 HITHOUT SERVING THE OBJECTIVE 0F NUCLEAR NONEPROLIFERATION I AM PARTICULARLY CONCERNED THE LIKELY ADVERSE IMPACT OF SUCH UNFORTUNATE MOVES ON OUR BILATERAL RELATIONS NHICH NE ARE BOTH COM- MITTED TO STRENGTHENING FURTHER I AM ASKING AMBASSADOR DEAN To CONVEY To YOU SOME OF THESE CONCERNS - I THANK YOU FOR YOUR MESSAGE REGARDING THE IDEAS I HAD PUT FORNARD ON A APPROACH TO THE ISSUE OF UCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION I APPRECIATE THE THOUGHT YOU 31 AVE GIVEN TO THESE IDEAS a it i rah-FinnJNTINBA FORM No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 09 - PAGE No Objection T0 Declassi cation 2008 06 09 hal moulz-m or STATE SMITH-902 PAGE 1THE BASIS OF MY APPROACH IS OUR COMMONLY HELD OBJECTIVE ELIMINATING NUCLEAR WEAPONS ALTOGETHER THIS IS THE 1OBJECTIVE OF THE GENEVA TALKS BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE SOVIET UNION THE TREATY WHICH YOU AND GENERAL SECRETARY GORBACHEV WILL BE SIGNING SHORTLY WILL BE 1A TRUELY MOMENTOUS ONE AND AN HISTORIC FIRST STEP IN THIS DIRECTION IT IS IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THIS OBJECTIVE THAT THE-QUESTION OF NUCLEAR CAN BE BEST TACKLED ON A LONG-TERM AND DURABLE BASIS THE APPROACH SUGGESTED BY ME IS A GLOBAL AND NOT A REGIONAL ONE I HOPE THAT THE SUMMIT MEETING BETWEEN YOU MR PRESIDENT AND GENERAL SECRETARY GORBACHEV WILL COMMITMENT TO THE COMPLETE ELIMINATION -OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND CALL FOR THE PARTICIPATION OF ALL -NUCELAR WEAPON STATES AND ALL STATES IN A TIME-BOUND PROGRAMME FOR ACHIEVING THIS OBJECTIVE MITH WARM PERSONAL REGARDS touas AJIV GANDHI RONALD REAGAN PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WASHINGTON - - - 4 IF weu waum mama-1m _r END TEXT DEAN IL 5N1 INUA HON FORM No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 09 This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu