"We feel proud and are honoured to be here in Bangladesh, which is a good friend of us. My father did not hesitate to speak the truth against the US foreign policy during the liberation war of this country," said Peter Blood, son of Archer K Blood at a press conference yesterday.

Blood's wife Margaret Blood and daughter Shireen Updegraff also spoke at the press conference at American Center as the US Embassy in Dhaka named The American Center Library in honour of Blood.

Blood is famous for signing a dissent cable written during the brutal military crackdown on the then East Pakistan. The historic cable called 'Blood Telegram' alerted the then US President Nixon and Secretary of State Kissinger to the genocide during 1971 and urged them to pressure West Pakistan to stop the killing.

That cable was followed by another, signed by 20 Americans stationed in the then East Pakistan with various US government agencies, denouncing the official American silence as serving 'neither our moral interests broadly defined nor our national interests narrowly defined...'

Peter Blood said he had many good Bangladeshi friends with whom he spent a very good time and meeting them again is marvellous.

Asked if the US should apologise for its foreign policy during the Liberation War, he said "I personally believe that the Nixon administration erred in judging the war and not condemning the crackdown against democracy, but it is up to the government if it would apologise now."

On his feeling about the local collaborators of the Pakistani military during the 1971 being in power at present, he said Bangladesh is a democratic country and the people of the land have their right to choose parties they like.

Asked if he is happy about the present situation of Bangladesh when religious militancy and bombings have become everyday phenomena, Peter said that he expects all the people to speak freely, journalists write without intimidation and uphold the truth always.

"My father would be very optimistic about Bangladesh where people have the right to speak and enjoy the freedom of independence," he said.

Margaret Blood said she felt delighted to be here and was proud that the US Embassy decided to dedicate the library in honour of his husband, which will be called "Archer K Blood American Center Library" from now on.

"The time during the liberation war was miserable", she recalled her memories, "but now the scene has changed a lot." She expressed her surprise at the numbers of cars on the streets of Dhaka.

The Blood family members also termed Bangladesh's number one position in the UN peacekeeping mission as one of the greatest achievements and wished for a prosperous future of the country.

Later, they attended a function arranged at the American Center premises where the diplomat's proud son read out from his "Personal Reflections on the Birth of Bangladesh".

Speaking at the dedication ceremony after the press conference, Judith A Chammas, Charge d'Affaires of US Embassy in Dhaka, said Blood's disagreeing with the official policy on the Pakistani crackdown has been described as career suicide, foolhardy and headstrong. "But I would term it courageous."

Due to Blood, Joe Galloway, a senior military correspondent for Knight Rider newspaper, was able to tell the world the truth about the events in Bangladesh.

"Information is the lifeblood of democracy: if people are barred from reading, exploring, studying, making their own decisions about their lives and the world, democracy withers and dies. It seems fitting that the American Center Library be named after Consul General Blood, a writer, a reader, and a tireless advocate of the people's right to know," she said.