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alok_pandey's review against another edition
4.0
First of all, Mr. Bass deserves a big bow simply for the effort he put in this book. Get this, almost 45% of the length of the ebook I read are just references!! Bass waded through innumerable books and journals to get his facts right and place them in context in addition to transcribing thousands of hours of White House official tapes and extracting relevant stuff out of it then. This book is no minor feat.
Now, about the book. Meticulously written by, it narrates the events during the 1971 crisis, that happened primarily between March and December, that led to Indo-Pak war and creation of an independent Bangladesh.
The book’s primary concern is the ogre forgotten and overlooked genocide perpetrated by the Pakistani state on (then) East Pakistani subjects, and that after denying them a justifiably and democratically won autonomy.
The second bigger concern is the role of American government in consistently propping up and supporting Pakistani generals to serve their own interests wrt China, cold-blooded cold war calculations and an unmissable hatred that reeks of shocking prejudice and almost verges on mind-numbing racism towards India and Indians, particularly coming from Nixon and Kissinger.
Reading through the transcripts, you often can’t believe that the conversation was done in the most powerful office of one the then superpowers of the world. Decisions, including those that decided the fate of other nations and communities, were made at whim and often by using twisted facts and ignoring protocols. A public office was used as private fiefdom and Congress was blindsided while blatantly violating the laws.
Henry Kissinger, is widely reviled today and going by his words in the cables, I can definitely see why. He has often been touted as one of the messiahs of realpolitik and to some extent it appeared so as well. But, in many instances, that is so not true and many of his viewpoints and decisions look plain stupid and illogical driven solely by a false sense of intellectual-superiority. There were times when even Nixon and his own staff started doubting his sanity.
The book doesn’t have that much detailed analysis on Indian thoughts and views during the period and the author provides the reason for that too as the lack of availability of exhaustive references and much of Indira-era document are still not declassified. That, if it were available, would have made the book next to perfect to understand the crisis in a comprehensive sense. Regardless, the book is still one of the best sources available on the subject and will be sourced by future works for a long time, in my opinion.
Now, about the book. Meticulously written by, it narrates the events during the 1971 crisis, that happened primarily between March and December, that led to Indo-Pak war and creation of an independent Bangladesh.
The book’s primary concern is the ogre forgotten and overlooked genocide perpetrated by the Pakistani state on (then) East Pakistani subjects, and that after denying them a justifiably and democratically won autonomy.
The second bigger concern is the role of American government in consistently propping up and supporting Pakistani generals to serve their own interests wrt China, cold-blooded cold war calculations and an unmissable hatred that reeks of shocking prejudice and almost verges on mind-numbing racism towards India and Indians, particularly coming from Nixon and Kissinger.
Reading through the transcripts, you often can’t believe that the conversation was done in the most powerful office of one the then superpowers of the world. Decisions, including those that decided the fate of other nations and communities, were made at whim and often by using twisted facts and ignoring protocols. A public office was used as private fiefdom and Congress was blindsided while blatantly violating the laws.
Henry Kissinger, is widely reviled today and going by his words in the cables, I can definitely see why. He has often been touted as one of the messiahs of realpolitik and to some extent it appeared so as well. But, in many instances, that is so not true and many of his viewpoints and decisions look plain stupid and illogical driven solely by a false sense of intellectual-superiority. There were times when even Nixon and his own staff started doubting his sanity.
The book doesn’t have that much detailed analysis on Indian thoughts and views during the period and the author provides the reason for that too as the lack of availability of exhaustive references and much of Indira-era document are still not declassified. That, if it were available, would have made the book next to perfect to understand the crisis in a comprehensive sense. Regardless, the book is still one of the best sources available on the subject and will be sourced by future works for a long time, in my opinion.
vivacissimx's review against another edition
5.0
If I could knock that rat bastard Kissinger out of his wheelchair straight into the Grand Canyon, I would know no greater joy.
xxstefaniereadsxx's review against another edition
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.0
I am a firm believer that United States history is extremely whitewashed and that, nine times out of ten, we are only taught the things that portray us in the best possible light. The bad things are glossed over and hidden a lot of the time. Every President has the potential to do great and terrible things, and even if their presidency is good overall, they cannot please everyone all the time...however, some presidents seem to attract shenanagins and controversy. One of President Nixon's most notable shenanagins was his involvement in the Watergate Scandal, but as I have come to find out, that was just the tip of the iceberg. This book discusses the 1971 Bangladesh Genocide, and the roles that President Nixon and Henry Kissinger played in the deaths of those people.
In March, 1971, the government of Pakistan began a crack down on the people of Bangladesh because they thought they were "too Bengali" and inferior people. They declared that Bengali women were "public property" and began a campaign of systematic rape. Somewhere between 200,000 and 400,000 women were raped during this time, but some may not have reported so this is just an estimation. Additionally, the Bengali government claims some 3,000,000 people were killed during the genocide, and millions more were displaced due to the genocide and subsequent conflict. President Nixon refused to condemn or help stop these actions, because he viewed Pakistan as an ally during the Cold War. He actively worked to squash reports of the genocide to prevent public condemnation. His administration also paid other country to ship weapons to Pakistan, so they could continue their horrible program. Kissinger, of course, helped out with this and those two were thick as thieves. If the estimations given by the Bengalis are correct, this would have been the largest genocide since the Holocaust during World War II...and only thirty years after the widespread horror of such.
The book was extremely well researched, and the information was conveyed in a way that was enjoyable to read. I learned a great deal from this book, which I appreciate above all things. I had never heard of this genocide prior to reading this book, which shocked me because I typically read any and all disaster and genocidal type of books. This was a truly shameful moment in foreign policy and in the history of the United States, and the fact that President Nixon and Mr. Kissinger worked so hard to make people think their reputations were gleaming is just gross to me. I feel that this book is essential reading, especially in our current times, because people really need to know what their candidates are capable of doing if elected, and what kind of track record they have before voting simply based on political party. It also is a great educational tool/reminder that the United States cannot seem to keep it's own house clean and should not be intervening and bossing everyone else about their houses... If you are interested in presidents and United States history, I would strongly suggest picking up a copy of this book.
In March, 1971, the government of Pakistan began a crack down on the people of Bangladesh because they thought they were "too Bengali" and inferior people. They declared that Bengali women were "public property" and began a campaign of systematic rape. Somewhere between 200,000 and 400,000 women were raped during this time, but some may not have reported so this is just an estimation. Additionally, the Bengali government claims some 3,000,000 people were killed during the genocide, and millions more were displaced due to the genocide and subsequent conflict. President Nixon refused to condemn or help stop these actions, because he viewed Pakistan as an ally during the Cold War. He actively worked to squash reports of the genocide to prevent public condemnation. His administration also paid other country to ship weapons to Pakistan, so they could continue their horrible program. Kissinger, of course, helped out with this and those two were thick as thieves. If the estimations given by the Bengalis are correct, this would have been the largest genocide since the Holocaust during World War II...and only thirty years after the widespread horror of such.
The book was extremely well researched, and the information was conveyed in a way that was enjoyable to read. I learned a great deal from this book, which I appreciate above all things. I had never heard of this genocide prior to reading this book, which shocked me because I typically read any and all disaster and genocidal type of books. This was a truly shameful moment in foreign policy and in the history of the United States, and the fact that President Nixon and Mr. Kissinger worked so hard to make people think their reputations were gleaming is just gross to me. I feel that this book is essential reading, especially in our current times, because people really need to know what their candidates are capable of doing if elected, and what kind of track record they have before voting simply based on political party. It also is a great educational tool/reminder that the United States cannot seem to keep it's own house clean and should not be intervening and bossing everyone else about their houses... If you are interested in presidents and United States history, I would strongly suggest picking up a copy of this book.
simonmee's review against another edition
4.0
"Hell," said the president, "we've done worse."
Of course you can do a polemic. They're fun. It's probably what I would write. The 1971 genocide in (now) Bangladesh would be a good subject to polemicize against (or for, I am not sure which is which).
But The Blood Telegram chooses not to be a polemic. It chooses to contextualise. It chooses to justify. It even humanises, within reason.
Yahya did manage to convince Kissinger that he was an idiot.
In 1971, what was East Pakistan was trending towards independence. West Pakistan (now just Pakistan) dominated the military and upper echelons of government, which often meant the same names. The latter clamped down by murdering at least thousands of Hindus (and a fair few Muslims too), causing up to 10 million East Pakistanis to flee to India, which had its own subversive and separatist movements to deal with.
"Yahya hasn't had such fun since the last Hindu massacre!"
But of course it's 1971, so events were warped by the lens of the Cold War, further twisted by Nixon's pending rapprochement with China, an event he saw as one of the greatest foreign policy achievements ever.
For reasons better set out in the book, the U.S. backs the West Pakistani suppression and the latter's resistance against Indian intervention by: supplying parts; transferring weapons illegally by way of allies; moving a carrier battlegroup; and encouraging Chinese intimidation, thanks to the dark geniuses of Nixon and Kissinger.
Poignantly, both men were evidently unaware that the Beatles had broken up.
The Blood Telegram pitches these two against institutional resistance within the State Department (including the principled stand of Archie Blood) and the flawed hero of Indira Gandhi. Where this book exceeds itself is the balanced treatment of all parties and the pressures they operated under, while passing clear judgement against those that let the genocide happen. There is a respectful tone towards Nixon and Kissinger, even when damning Kissinger's sophomoric language. An interesting epilogue is that the U.S.'s choices gained it nothing, even when it whipped up a lopsided vote against India in the United Nations.
It's not the flashiest read, burdened by cables, notes and, well, a telegram or two. However, it is still an excellent case study of mustering the evidence for both sides without falling into "both-siderism".
Of course you can do a polemic. They're fun. It's probably what I would write. The 1971 genocide in (now) Bangladesh would be a good subject to polemicize against (or for, I am not sure which is which).
But The Blood Telegram chooses not to be a polemic. It chooses to contextualise. It chooses to justify. It even humanises, within reason.
Yahya did manage to convince Kissinger that he was an idiot.
In 1971, what was East Pakistan was trending towards independence. West Pakistan (now just Pakistan) dominated the military and upper echelons of government, which often meant the same names. The latter clamped down by murdering at least thousands of Hindus (and a fair few Muslims too), causing up to 10 million East Pakistanis to flee to India, which had its own subversive and separatist movements to deal with.
"Yahya hasn't had such fun since the last Hindu massacre!"
But of course it's 1971, so events were warped by the lens of the Cold War, further twisted by Nixon's pending rapprochement with China, an event he saw as one of the greatest foreign policy achievements ever.
For reasons better set out in the book, the U.S. backs the West Pakistani suppression and the latter's resistance against Indian intervention by: supplying parts; transferring weapons illegally by way of allies; moving a carrier battlegroup; and encouraging Chinese intimidation, thanks to the dark geniuses of Nixon and Kissinger.
Poignantly, both men were evidently unaware that the Beatles had broken up.
The Blood Telegram pitches these two against institutional resistance within the State Department (including the principled stand of Archie Blood) and the flawed hero of Indira Gandhi. Where this book exceeds itself is the balanced treatment of all parties and the pressures they operated under, while passing clear judgement against those that let the genocide happen. There is a respectful tone towards Nixon and Kissinger, even when damning Kissinger's sophomoric language. An interesting epilogue is that the U.S.'s choices gained it nothing, even when it whipped up a lopsided vote against India in the United Nations.
It's not the flashiest read, burdened by cables, notes and, well, a telegram or two. However, it is still an excellent case study of mustering the evidence for both sides without falling into "both-siderism".
libkatem's review against another edition
3.0
Conclusion: Nixon and I would not get along.
So I had no idea what this genocide was, which is why I picked up this book. As usual, studying history would give me an inside to the complicated relationships between countries.
Good lord, Pakistan.
So I had no idea what this genocide was, which is why I picked up this book. As usual, studying history would give me an inside to the complicated relationships between countries.
Good lord, Pakistan.