Warfare

India-Pakistan: On the Brink of Nuclear War

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Episode notes

Note: A previous version of this episode featured the wrong audio. We apologise for this.


In 1970, the deadliest storm in modern history ripped Pakistan in two, leading the world to the brink of nuclear war after American and Soviet forces converged in the Bay of Bengal.


Over the course of just a few hours, the Great Bhola Cyclone would kill 500,000 people and begin a chain reaction of turmoil, genocide, and war.


In this episode James is joined by Scott Carney and Jason Miklian, who take us deep into the story of the cyclone and its aftermath, told through the eyes of those who lived through it - including the infamous president of Pakistan, General Yahya Khan, and his close friend Richard Nixon.


Scott & Jason's book The Vortex: A True Story of History's Deadliest Storm, an Unspeakable War, and Liberation is available here.


Edited by Aidan Lonergan.


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