Hans Remembers- Friday November 13, 1970- 50 Years Ago.
- One of the biggest stories of 1970- the cyclone which hit East Pakistan- soon to be Bangladesh- has claimed over 300,000 lives. The Bhola Island which had a highest point of 6 feet above sea level and Hatiya Island were both washed over by the Bay of Bengal. We will never know how many died in total- could be up to half a million- the area had no census records for the area that was struck.
- American Vice President Spiro “Ted” Agnew called television executives “Impudent snobs.”
- Air Marshall Hafez al-Assad the Defense Minister of Syria led a military coup within the ruling Ba’ath Party, then announced the overthrow and arrest of President Nureddin al-Atassi. Assad would rule Syria for more than 29 years until his death in 2000- his son Bashar al-Assad has been ruling Syria since his father’s death.
That’s not the cyclone that led to the food crisis that led to the benefit concert is it?
Yes it is.. East Pakistan would soon become- Bangladesh.
The Concert was August 71 and in dual response – primary response was Shankar’s appeal to Harrison to help do something for the civil war refugees.