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Nixon was least bothered with 1971 genocide: Tim Weiner Appended here for my readers to read what the Pulitzer award winning New York Times journalist Tim Weiner says about the former US president Richard Nixon about the genocide that happened in Bangladesh during 1971 in his latest book "One Man Against The World: The Tragedy of Richard Nixon" The book contains many interesting revelations, which he discussed in some detail in a 'Times of India' interview on Sunday last. Weiner discounted Nixon's fear of communism as being responsible for turning his back on the Bangladesh genocide. "Nixon repeatedly calls the people of India savages and cannibals. He repeatedly mourns the fact that Yahiya is going down and Indira Gandhi will emerge stronger.” “He didn't give a fig for the genocide that was being committed in present-day Bangladesh, for which people are still being tried and convicted. The origin of this is simply loyalty for Yahiya for smuggling Kissinger to China." Weiner pins it all to Nixon's irrational hatred of India, despite knowing that India would surely win the war. He says Nixon was actually risking a world war when he and Kissinger started pushing the Chinese to attack India a la 1962 to stop the Indian army from entering Bangladesh. "They start staring down the barrel of World War three in the name of Yahiya Khan facilitating the opening to China," says Weiner in his interview. "They do this despite knowing who is going to win the next India-Pakistan war." Perhaps many of my readers might have forgotten the genocide that was committed by Pakistan in present-day Bangladesh during 1971. Nevertheless, I shall neither forget nor forgive the Pakistani perpetrators who were responsible for committing the atrocities on us during our war of liberation in the year 1971. I am one of the eyewitnesses who have seen the atrocities that the Armed Forces of Pakistan unleashed on the unarmed civilians of the then Bangladesh. The Pakistani military began the genocide in Bangladesh on 26 March 1971 by lunching a military crackdown on us to suppress our calls for self-determination. During the Nine-month-long our war for liberation, Pakistani Army and supporting militias killed an estimated 3 million people and violated nearly 4 hundred thousands women in a systematic campaign of genocidal abuse. While I can understand the reasons behind Nixon’s silence, I could never understand why the Pakistani perpetrators were not punished for the crimes they committed against humanity. Why India allowed them to go back home like war heroes? Picture: US President Richard Nixon meets with Pakistani President Yahiya Khan, 1970 Photo: US National Archives and Records Service. Source: bdnews24.com           |
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I can tell from what you have written that this is a very painful tragedy. Governments will, on the whole, get into bed with any group that enhances their agenda. I find the fact that Pakistan & India have nuclear weapons extremely troubling. Warm Hugsssss my friend~~~~
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Thanks boogie for your frank observations on the matter. Many people in the world, especially many Americans, did not even know at that time what was going on in this part of this planet called earth. Internet was also not there in existence. The American press was biased largely towards Pakistan. The world was divided at that time into two camps. Yet, we expected the then American Government to remain at least neutral while we had been fighting the Pakistani Military armed by the Americans. Have a wonderful time always. We all need people like you, boogie. _______________________________________
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I can tell from what you have written that this is a very painful tragedy. Governments will, on the whole, get into bed with any group that enhances their agenda. I find the fact that Pakistan & India have nuclear weapons extremely troubling. Warm Hugsssss my friend~~~~ Thank you so much for the meaningful comments that you have very kindly left here on my blog page. I appreciate. I can still remember that many Canadians like many Americans came forward to support our just cause at that time. ‘Strong voices were raised globally to stop genocide and a major event of solidarity was the “Concert for Bangladesh”, jointly organized by George Harrison and Pundit Ravi Shankar with the participation of major singers of the day.’ You will be surprised to note that one of the first people to point out the accusation of genocide was the US Consul General in Dhaka, Archer K. Blood, a man of integrity. In his secret cables sent to the Department of State, he tried to depict the real situation and titled his March 28, 1971 cable with the words “Selective Genocide”. Later on in his memoir The Cruel Birth of Bangladesh he wrote, “As far as I know, it was the first time that term had been used, but it was not to be the last.” Warm Regards and Hugs my friend---- Have a nice trouble free time
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I never liked Nixon, he is one of the reasons I left the US. I don't remember the details of the genocide ever having been given here in France either but we were informed of your difficult separation from Pakistan.
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I never liked Nixon, he is one of the reasons I left the US. I don't remember the details of the genocide ever having been given here in France either but we were informed of your difficult separation from Pakistan. Glad to read you here again after a considerable time and thanks for your straightforward comment on my post . I appreciate. Perhaps you may not know that people of France did support us when we struggled almost bare handed initially against Pakistani butchers. I can still remember the contribution of André Malraux made towards our freedom struggle. Thanks again Archer. Stay well and happy. Best wishes.
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Roxy, Many like you could not know what was happening in Dhaka, the capital of the then East Pakistan (Bangladesh) as Pakistani military confined all foreign reporters to the Hotel Intercontinental ,currently known as the Dhaka Sheraton. Moreover, the then US government was not perhaps willing to make the news known to the American Public. However, the reporters were able to observe the tank and artillery attacks on the Dhaka civilians from their hotel windows. The confined reporters were however expelled from the country after two days. Their notes and tapes were confiscated at the time of their deportation. Two of the foreign reporters escaped the roundup on March 25, 1971. They evaded capture by hiding on the roof of the hotel. One of them was Simon Dring of the Daily Talegraph and on March 30, 1971, the Daily Telegraph published Simon Dring’s story of the slaughter in Dhaka that the army perpetrated in the name of "God and a united Pakistan". Thanks again Mary Ann for showing interest on my Blog. Have a wonderful week.
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Boogie, I fear that my words may fail to express proper appreciations for what you have stated on your post here. Your comments are not only meaningful but also needed to be pondered upon further by all of us having compassion for the suffering humanity everywhere in the world. Boogie, I agree in full with what you have stated about this site. I wonder what pleasure they get by insulting each other! As I said earlier, we need more people like you as active members of this site. By the by, we are now passing through monsoon and it appears to be bearable this year. Thanks again for your kind and meaningful words. Take care and stay well always. Warm regards. look
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Dear Rubi, Many thanks for your kind words. I feel so happy to read you here always. Those days were fearsome. For months together, I could not visit my mother who was living in her own house in a city located 250 miles away from us where I grew up. She had to leave her house for a safe house located in a village initially when the Pakistani military ransacked the city and burnt down many dwellings. My mother’s house fortunately remained standing, as it was a large two-storied Brick building. Thanks again for your sympathy, dear RubI. I appreciate. Have a nice weekend. God bless you.Dear Rubi,
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