An American diplomat wrote to Richard Nixon 55 years ago today to warn of a genocide many Americans have never heard of.
He was describing the Bangladesh genocide, in which up to 3 million were killed and more than 30 million displaced.
The 8-month atrocity was carried out by Pakistan, a country Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger viewed as a Cold War ally and supplied with weapons and other military support.
The US went so far as to reimburse other countries that provided arms to the Pakistani government.
The violence was driven in large part by an effort to crush the Bangladeshi independence movement. And while Bangladesh and its people have seen little justice for these crimes, they did achieve self-determination and now mark Independence Day each March.