A book, containing the history of the “dark chapter in American geopolitics in which the US authorities ignored the genocide in Bangladesh during the 1971 Liberation War,” has won the $75,000 (US) Cundill Prize.
For the second time in less than a year, Gary Bass, a professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University, has won the major Canadian non-fiction prize for historical literature, reported several international news agencies.
The 45-year-old Bass was awarded the Cundill Prize in Historical Literature at McGill on Thursday at a gala ceremony in Toronto.
The prize is worth $75,000, making it one of the richest prizes in non-fiction in the world.
His book The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger and a Forgotten Genocide details a dark chapter in American geopolitics in which Henry Kissinger, then US national security advisor, ignored a series of cables from a diplomat named Archer Blood claiming Pakistan was committing “genocide” against Bangalis in the then Eastern Pakistan.
The 544-page book was published in 2013.
According to the critics, the magnificent history book provides the first full account of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger’s secret support for Pakistan in 1971 as it committed shocking atrocities in Bangladesh—which led to a war, shaped the fate of Asia, and left major strategic consequences for the world today.
“Drawing on previously unheard White House tapes, recently declassified documents, and his own extensive investigative reporting, Gary Bass uncovers an astonishing unknown story of superpower brinkmanship, war, scandal, and conscience. Revelatory, authoritative, and compulsively readable, The Blood Telegram is a thrilling chronicle of a pivotal chapter in American foreign policy.”
In March, Bass took home the Lionel Gelber Prize for the same book.
In a press release announcing his win, the writer said: “Every reader will judge Nixon's and Kissinger's actions in their own way, and it's not up to me to dictate what they should take away from it, but at least they should be aware of the core facts, and then we can have that debate properly.”
The other finalists for the prize, which was established in 2008 by McGill alumnus. Peter Cundill, were Richard Overy for The Bombing War: Europe 1939-45 and David Van Reybrouck for Congo: The Epic History of a People.
This year’s jury, who considered 165 titles submitted by 70 publishers from around the world, was comprised of author and journalist David Frum; Marla R Miller, a professor at the University of Massachusetts; Stuart Schwartz, a former winner of the prize; Thomas HB Symons, professor emeritus at Trent University; and Althia Raj, Huffington Post Canada’s Ottawa Bureau Chief.
Gary Bass, born in 1969, received a combined doctorate in psychology and education from the University of Michigan.
He was president of the Human Services Information Center before founding OMB Watch in 1983.
Since then he has been a prominent commentator on federal information policy issues and assisted other nonprofit organizations: The NonProfit Times listed him within their Power and Influence Top 50.
In 1989, he created RTK NET (the Right-to-Know Network), a free online service to provide community groups with access to government data. He is the founder and Executive Director of OMB Watch.
