It is a truism of history that innocent civilians suffer when nations resort to war. To the long list of victims of the Pakistani Government's military repression in East Bengal have now been added the helpless children in a Dacca orphanage that is reported to have been hit squarely by an Indian bomb.

Both sides bear a heavy obligation to make every effort to avoid civilian casualties. India, which enjoys overwhelming air superiority especially in the East, has a particular responsibility to use its air power with more restraint than has yet been evident and to move quickly to accept the United Nations call for a cease‐fire. As long as the conflict continues, the innocent will continue to die on a subcontinent that has borne more than its share of human suffering from both natural and human causes.