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The winner of the 2014 Cundill Prize in Historical Literature at UU直播 was announced last night at a gala awards dinner in Toronto by UU直播 Chancellor Michael A. Meighen and Professor Christopher Manfredi, Dean of UU直播鈥檚 Faculty of Arts.听 Now in its seventh year, the Cundill Prize is the world鈥檚 most lucrative international award for a nonfiction book.听罢丑别听Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger and a Forgotten Genocide听(Knopf), a horrifying story of the Pakistani state鈥檚 genocidal war on the people of Bangladesh, and America鈥檚 sad record of complicity, took home the top prize of US$75,000.听

The Blood Telegram听provides the first full account of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger鈥檚 secret support of Pakistan in 1971 as it committed shocking atrocities in Bangladesh, which led to war between India and Pakistan, shaped the fate of Asia, and left major strategic consequences for the world today.听 鈥淚t would be good for people to remember this important chapter of the Cold War鈥�, said Bass, a professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University. 鈥淓very reader will judge Nixon's and Kissinger's actions in their own way, and it's not up to me to dictate what they should take away from it, but at least they should be aware of the core facts, and then we can have that debate properly.鈥�

The other two finalists, Richard Overy听for听The Bombing War: Europe 1939-45听(Allen Lane), and David Van Reybrouck for听Congo: The Epic History of a People听(ECCO), were each awarded a 鈥淩ecognition of Excellence鈥� prize of US$10,000.听 The finalists were selected from 165 submissions received from 70 publishers worldwide.

鈥淚鈥檇 like to thank the Cundill Prize jury, who have done a remarkable job in reading through this year鈥檚 submissions, which were some of the strongest we have seen to date, to bring us three outstanding finalists鈥� said Prof. Manfredi, who serves as Administrative Chair of the Cundill Prize. 鈥淚 also congratulate our finalists, who have dedicated years of hard work to the research and writing of the books we celebrate tonight.听These three books not only reveal the past, but also show that history shapes who we are, as individuals and as societies.鈥澨�

This year鈥檚 Cundill Jury includes听David Frum, author and a senior editor for听The Atlantic;听Marla R. Miller,听Professor and Director, Public History Program and Graduate Program Director, the University of Massachusetts;听Stuart Schwartz,听Professor, Department of History, Yale University and the winner of the inaugural Cundill Prize;听Thomas H.B. Symons,听Founding President and Professor Emeritus, Trent University; and听Althia Raj, Ottawa Bureau Chief for Huffington Post Canada.

About the Prize:听The Cundill Prize in Historical Literature at UU直播 is the world鈥檚 most important international nonfiction historical literature prize. It was established in 2008 by UU直播 alumnus F. Peter Cundill, who passed away in January 2011. The prize is administered by UU直播鈥檚 Dean of Arts, with the help of the UU直播 Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC), and is awarded annually to an individual who has published a book determined to have had a profound literary, social and academic impact in the area of history.听听

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The three finalists are available for comment and interview.