The U.S.Central Intelligence Agency And China Tibet (1940s-1972)

The U.S. intelligence agencies have played an important role in meddling in the Chinese Tibet questions since last century. The Central Intelligence Agency(CIA) and the predecessor the Office of Strategic Services(OSS) were pioneers.Both the Tolstoy's secret Tibet Mission of OSS and the CIA agents Mackiernan and Bessac's secret mission to Lhasa from Tihwa,Xinjiang focused on intelligence including Humanity, geography, social custom and the climatic change of Tibet. After the founding of P.R. China, The U.S. CIA instigated Dalai Lama to flee and the U.S. embassy and consulate in India played an important role.They trained Tibetan agents for communication and droped the arms to the separatist forces in south Tibet secretly. After the Dalai Lama's flight to India in 1959, The CIA helped establishing Tibetan guerrillas in Mustang which locates in south Nepal, and in cooperating with Indian Intelligence Bureau, The CIA used Himalayas to collect the Chinese information. The U.S. gave up its secret support to the exiled Tibetans gradually when the Sino-US relations unfreezed.This thesis falls into four chapters except the introduction and conclusion:Chapter one is on the OSS secret mission to Tibet during World War II. It is a progressive course that the U.S. meddled in China Tibet question. Before World War II, There were several Americans who had ever been Tibet, they helped the U.S.citizens to know more about Tibet. The OSS sent Tolstoy mission to Tibet in 1942 to contact Tibet government officials including Dalai Lama which began direct communications between the U.S. President and Dalai Lama.The so called Tibetan diplomatic beaurea claimed this as the first time that Tibet and the U.S.A. established formal friendly relations. Tolstoy entered Tibet through India and then to Chongqing through Qinghai.He broght back a lot of natural,historical,political and social informations.Chapter two probes into CIA spies Mackiernan and Bessac's secret mission to Tibet. Shortly before new China was established, the Department of State of U.S.A. decided to send a secret diplomatic mission to Tibet during the power-shift period between two parties of China. The CIA agent Mackiernan coverd as vice-consul left Tihwa with the contract agent Bessac to Tibet, on September 27, 1949.It took them almost 9 months to arrive at Lhasa and Mackiern was shot dead at the border of Tibet.Bessac entered Lhasa and met with Dalai Lama and some"diplomatic officials"of Tibet government.He even delivered a speech in Potala before Kashag, he urged Tibetans to ask covert military help fromU.S.A. and permit American agents to live in Lhasa.Chapter three is on how the CIA cooperated with some officials in U.S Embassy and consulate of India to instigate Dalai Lama's flight secretly. It was a special key time for the U.S. to change its Tibet Policy in 1950s and the U.S.Tibetan policy worked effectively. It led to the extensive rebellion in Tibet and helped the Dalai Lama's flight at last and set the exiled Tibetan Government in India.All in all,the U.S.A. made a tough Tibet problem for Chinese Government to deal with in a long time. Chapter four is on how the CIA utilize exiled Tibetans to prevent China from becoming more powerful. After Dalai Lama's flight in 1959, Great changes have taken place for America to interfere Tibet question.The CIA helped exiled Tibetans set up Mustang base and trained Tibetan guerrilla leaders. They also air-dropped weapons to the Tibetan guerrilla forces in Mustang and south of Tibet. And the CIA helped Indians set up a para-military forces composed of 5000 Tibetans.In cooperating with India intelligence bureau, the CIA utilized Himalayas to collect Chinese information,etc.In conclusion, we could tell the essence of U.S.A. interfered with Tibet question secretly. That is: The overall situation of the Sino-US relations is the key to U.S. Tibet policy; It was a limited task for the U.S. to help Tibetans.The secret cooperation of India is the essential prerequisite for America to meddle in Tibet question; It is important for America to instigate the countries of South Asia against China when they dicussed Tibet question; But it never worked to use Tibetan separatists to divide China.