Unsealed Watergate files show Nixon assured China of US backing in 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War

Former US President Richard Nixon assured China that the United States would support it if Beijing attacked India during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, according to newly unsealed Watergate-era records released after nearly five decades.

The documents include seven pages of Nixon's sworn testimony to the Watergate grand jury, offering a rare account of US contingency planning during the Cold War and highlighting the risk Washington was prepared to take of a wider regional conflict involving China, says Times Now.

In his testimony, Nixon explained the reasoning behind the assurance given to Beijing at the height of the conflict.

"The Russians were supporting India. … Nobody was supporting Pakistan because there was an embargo on the shipment of arms. … But we were giving moral support to them, and also we gave to the Chinese an assurance privately that if India jumped Pakistan and China decided to take on the Indians that we would support them."

Nixon told prosecutors the decision had been his own, and "not Kissinger's," indicating it was taken at the highest level rather than as part of routine policy deliberations.

The testimony was sealed separately from other Watergate materials because it was considered exceptionally sensitive, according to the records. It was withheld from much of the prosecution team and the grand jury over concerns that it revealed US strategic thinking during the Cold War and could have diplomatic and military repercussions.

The documents show that US officials had quietly considered the possibility of Chinese military action against India while the war was underway. Nixon cautioned prosecutors against pursuing the matter further, warning them not to "open that can of worms".

The testimony reflects Washington's broader Cold War calculations at the time. Earlier in 1971, India had signed a treaty of friendship with the Soviet Union, reinforcing US perceptions that New Delhi was aligned with Moscow.

Pakistan, meanwhile, was viewed as strategically important to the United States for facilitating secret diplomatic contacts with China, which paved the way for Nixon's landmark visit to Beijing in 1972. Nixon told the grand jury the United States felt a "great obligation" to Pakistan for that role.

The 1971 war followed a major humanitarian crisis in East Pakistan after a military crackdown there triggered the displacement of millions of civilians into India. New Delhi initially sought international intervention before signing a treaty of friendship and cooperation with the Soviet Union in August 1971.

India launched military action after Pakistan carried out pre-emptive air strikes on 3 Dec. The conflict ended 13 days later with the surrender of Pakistan's Eastern Command in Dhaka, leading to the creation of Bangladesh and a lasting shift in South Asia's strategic balance.