American Response to Bangladesh Liberation War

On the Silver Jubilee of Bangladesh Liberation War, this is a documentary chronicle of the American response to the great crisis in South Asia. Arranged in four parts it begins with a narrative by the editor and his wife on how the Bengalis in the USA reacted to the war and how the US and other citizens in the USA, the media, the US Congress and the Executive responded to the crisis. In the second part, a selection of documents produced in the USA at the time on various facets and issues of the liberation war are reproduced. They cover seven topics, viz., why Bangladesh, Pakistani atrocities, the economic situation in war-ravaged Bangladesh, spectre of famine and disease, threat of a subcontinental war, economic prospects of Bangladesh, and the US policy relating to the crisis. Part three is devoted to action in the US Congress on the crisis and it also contains 45 selected statements out of a total of 2 10 made by Senators and Representatives on the floor. These two parts clearly bring out the great impact on the USA of the Bangladesh liberation war. They also provide materials for a judgment on the response of all branches of the US society and government to the liberation war. The final part contains contributions in the form of recollections and reflections from selected American and Bengali participants, intimately associated with the Bangladesh liberation war effort in the USA.