On Friday, Bangladesh marks its 40th anniversary. The Takeaway spends a few minutes on one American hero tied to this anniversary, a former U.S. diplomat who served in what was then known as East Pakistan. The story of the “Blood Telegram” brings together U.S. Consul General Archer Blood, an act of unprecedented defiance and Bangladesh’s struggle for independence, a fight that some believe cost three million lives. Howard Schaffer is a former ambassador to Bangladesh. Sultan Ahmed is an American Bangladeshi who has made his life in the U.S.
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