Archer K. Blood
World War II Navy veteran and consul general who sent the 1971 "Blood Telegram" dissenting from U.S. policy during the atrocities in East Pakistan, a forerunner of the State Department's Dissent Channel.
Service Record
| Born | March 20, 1923, Chicago, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Education | B.A., University of Virginia, 1943; M.A., International Relations, George Washington University, 1963 |
| Military | U.S. Navy, World War II, North Pacific |
| Entered Foreign Service | 1947 |
| Posts | Greece, Algeria, Germany, Afghanistan, East Pakistan, India |
| Consul General, Dacca | March 1970 – June 1971 |
| The Blood Telegram | April 6, 1971; signed by 20 members of the consulate staff |
| Final post | Chargé d'affaires, U.S. Embassy New Delhi |
| Retired | 1982 |
| Died | September 3, 2004, Fort Collins, Colorado |
| Honors | Christian A. Herter Award, 1971; Archer K. Blood American Center Library, Dhaka, 2005; conference room named in his honor at State Department headquarters, 2022 |
Overview
Archer Blood put his name to the most famous dissent cable in the history of the Foreign Service. It cost him his post and much of his career. Today the Department names rooms after him.
Early Life and Military Service
Born in Chicago, he grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia, and graduated from the University of Virginia in 1943. He served in the United States Navy in the North Pacific during the Second World War.
Career
He joined the Foreign Service in 1947 and served in Greece, Algeria, Germany, and Afghanistan. In March 1970 he became U.S. consul general in Dacca, then the capital of East Pakistan.
The Blood Telegram
In 1971 the Pakistani army launched a campaign of mass killing in East Pakistan. On April 6, 1971, a cable signed by twenty members of the consulate's diplomatic staff went to Washington as a formal dissent against U.S. policy. "We, as professional civil servants, express our dissent with current policy," the cable read, warning that the government's silence would be seen as moral bankruptcy.
Consequences
He was recalled from Dacca and reassigned to the Department's personnel office. His career never fully recovered, though he later served as chargé d'affaires in New Delhi before retiring in 1982.
Legacy
He received the American Foreign Service Association's Christian A. Herter Award in 1971. The Blood Telegram is regarded as a precursor of the State Department's Dissent Channel. In 2005 the American Center Library at the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka was dedicated in his name, and in 2022 a conference room at State Department headquarters was named in his honor. In Bangladesh he is remembered as a true friend.
Recognition
Envoys of Record recognizes Archer K. Blood for Courage of Conscience: for placing principle ahead of career when it mattered most.