Dacca Diary – Dec 6, 1971 by WSJ’s Peter R Kann

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

Monday, Dec 6, 1971

Try a road trip to Sibalay about 50 miles west of Dacca. Impression: Pakistan army bound to lose East Pakistan if only because of logistics. Small army convoys stalled along roadside. Overheated radiators and other mechanical maladies. When convoy stalls, the Bengali farmers flee from nearby fields. Until now, army trucks meant search for Mukti Bahini guerrillas, razed villages, civilian massacres. Army hasn't much time for that now. Irony: Bengalis probably safer now that general war is on.

Back at the Intercontinental tonight. Evening talk at the hotel is of UN plane turning back 10 minutes out of Dacca because of Indian air strike at airport just before a temporary cease-fire scheduled to go into effect. And Gen. Rao Farman Ali Khan gave an afternoon press conference in which he said that Pak forces facing some supply problems, are cut off from West Pakistan for the time being, and on the defensive for the time being. He said the best Pak defence is to gradually cede some territory to the advancing Indians. Last week his boss, Gen Niazi, had said the best defence is an offensive. But times change.

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.