Dacca Diary – Dec 5, 1971 by WSJ’s Peter R Kann

DACCA Diary from InterContinental Hotel by Wall Street Journal's Peter R Kann

Sunday, Dec 5, 1971

Anticlimactic day. Nothing to compare with yesterday's air spectacular. Lots of rumours circulating. One favourite has Indian army columns only 60 miles from Dacca. Someone consults map and discovers Indian border to the east less than 60 miles away. Western families resident in Dhaka congregating at Intercontinental. Rumours of planned United Nations relief flight to Bangkok confirmed by UN officials at evening meeting at the bar. A Gregory Peck scene – distinguished grey-haired UN official talking about women and children first. Some of the men buying out hotel bar's Scotch supply at US$35 a bottle. It's a stockpiling sort of day.

"Sartre would dig this place", one reporter says. "Why?" "No Exit"

Peter R Kann joined the staff of The Wall Street Journal in 1964 to become its publisher eventually. In 1972, he earned a Pulitzer for his coverage of the Liberation War of Bangladesh.