Washington, June 30 (PTI): Exasperated with the Indian victory over Pakistani forces in the 1971 Bangladesh war, US President Richard Nixon had wanted a publicity campaign to “piss on Indians”, newly de-classified documents revealed.

As the Indian Army crushed Pakistani forces in the then East Pakistan and tightened its grip over areas in the west, the Nixon administration was troubled.

It decided to initiate a strategy to save west Pakistan by sending reinforcements and made plans to malign India.

“They’ve had no spare parts from us for months. Their army is ground down. And two more weeks of war and they’re finished in the west as much they are in the east. So if we can save west Pakistan, it would still be a defeat,” national security adviser Henry Kissinger told Nixon at the height of the conflict on December 10, 1971, transcripts revealed.

He said India will not be happy with this US move.

Nixon agreed, saying: “I don’t want the Indians to be happy...I want a public relations programme developed to piss on the Indians... I want to piss on them for their responsibility.”

“I want the Indians blamed for this.... We can’t let these goddamn, sanctimonious Indians get away with this. They’ve pissed on us on Vietnam for five years,” he added.

During the conversation Nixon told Kissinger to rope in Chinese forces to help the embattled Pakistani troops and ask France to sell weapons to Islamabad.

“They’ve got to threaten or they’ve got to move, one of the two.? Now goddamn it, we’re playing our role that will restrain India. And also tell them that this will help us get the ceasefire...,” Nixon said referring to China.

The President also told his national security adviser to drew up an aid package for Pakistan in the guise of economic assistance as the Congress was against sanctioning arms sales to that country.

“Now, I want a programme of aid to west Pakistan formulated immediately. Have some sort of a programme, you know, after they’re there. We cannot let them hang out there by themselves,” he said.

“I don’t think we can get through the Congress arms sales to west Pakistan.... Give them a hell lot of economic assistance,” Nixon said.

“And let them convert into ?well that’s their, that’s their, we don’t ask the Indians, we’ve given the Indians all this economic assistance, and we didn’t ask any questions when they made a treaty with Russians and bought Russian arms,” he said.

They also decided to step up pressure on India after the war. “...We have to continue to squeeze the Indians even when this things is settled,” Kissinger told Nixon.