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{
    "localId": "290016352",
    "label": "Background Memoranda on Visit to the United States of Liaquat Ali Khan, Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Government of Pakistan",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Background Memoranda on Visit to the United States of Liaquat Ali Khan, Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Government of Pakistan",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/290016352",
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        "President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
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    "seq": 23,
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    "ocrText": "SECRET\n17\nKashmir is a proverty-stricken state, with a population of four mil-\nlions and an area about equal to that of Great Britain. Because of the\npreponderance of Muslims, Pakistan is convinced that a plebiscite would\ngo in its favor. It is widely believed in Pakistan that India, despite\nrepeated statements to the contrary, is following a policy of obstructive-\nness and procrastination in order to consolidate its position in Kashmir\nand avoid a plebiscite, which it fears it would lose. It is therefore\nopen to question whether an overall plebiscite will ever occur, and the\nSecurity Council is aware of this possibility. Any other solution, such\nas partition, is unpalatable to Pakistan and would be politically very\ndifficult because the Pakistan Prime Minister and other statesmen have\nconstantly reiterated to the country their insistence upon a plebiscite;\nthe newspapers have declared that the alternatives for Kashmire are\n\"plebiscite or war\". Thus, an approach to Pakistan on the question of\nan alternative solution is an extremely delicate matter. The Security\nCouncil dared go no farther in this direction than to empower its new\nRepresentative to make \"any suggestions which\nare likely to con-\ntribute to the\nsolution of the dispute\", while at the same time\nadvocating that the freely expressed will of the inhabitants should deter-\nmine the future of the State.\nBases of Quarrel\nUndoubtedly the bitterness of the quarrel over Kashmir is largely\nbased, both in India and Pakistan, upon emotional considerations arising\nout of personal sentimental attachments and jealousies, and questions of\nnational prestige. To Nehru, personally, Kashmir is associated with his\nearly life and it appears to be, with him, a spiritual symbol which stirs\nSECRET"
}