Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, Korea and China, Volume VII, Part 2

793B.00/7–1151

The Chargé in India (Steere) to the Department of State

top secret   air pouch
No. 70

New Delhi, July 11, 1951.

Subject: Transmitting copy of Document recently forwarded to Dalai Lama at Yatung

I have the honor to refer to the Embassy’s telegrams No. 3764 of June 24 and No. 101 of July 8, 1951¹ with respect to Tibet and to enclose a copy of a document which was recently forwarded to the Dalai Lama at Yatung.

This document was drawn up toward the end of June for the purpose of transmitting to the Dalai Lama a concise and clear statement of the attitude of the United States toward the various problems confronting Tibet. For reasons of security, the document is neither addressed to the Dalai Lama nor signed by an American representative. It contains no reference to the United States. Arrangements were made, however, by which the Dalai Lama was informed of its origin.

It is believed that this document as well as later information regarding the extent of American assistance for Tibet reached the Dalai Lama about July 6.

Loyd V. Steere

[Enclosure]

top secret

[New Delhi, undated.]

We sent you a letter two months ago² about the dangers of the Chinese Communists. Some of your advisers probably think that they understand the Chinese Communists and can make a bargain with them. We do not think they understand Communism or the record of its leaders.… Your Holiness is the chief hope of Tibet. If the Chinese Communists seize control of Tibet, you will be of greater help to Tibet outside Tibet where you will be the recognized leader and will symbolize the hopes of the Tibetans for the recovery of Tibet’s freedom.

We do not know whether you received our letter about the Chinese Communists. We would like to know.

Since sending the previous letter we have read in the newspapers your delegation to Peiping signed an agreement with the Chinese Communists. We do not believe they signed it with your permission but were forced to do so. However, the world is beginning to think that you do not object to the agreement because you have made no statement about it. We think you should make this statement soon because the Chinese Communists are sending a delegation to Yatung through India. If you make your statement before they reach India, it should make it difficult for the Chinese delegation to come to Tibet. If you do not make such a statement, we think that Tibetan autonomy is gone forever.

The only access we have to Tibet is through the country of India. It is therefore important that Tibet tell India what you now want to do and persuade India to help you or permit other countries to help you. We don’t know for sure but we think it possible India will permit help because although India now seems friendly with the Chinese Communists we know many Indians are fearful of the Communists near India.

We ourselves are willing to help Tibet now and we will do the following things at this time:

1. After you issue the statement disavowing the agreement which your delegation signed with the Chinese Communists in Peiping, we will issue a public statement of our own supporting your stand.

2. If you decide to send a new appeal to the United Nations, we will support your case in the United Nations.³

3. If you leave Tibet, we think you should seek asylum in India, Thailand or Ceylon in that order of priority because then you will be closer to Tibet and will be able to organize its resistance to the Chinese Communists. Although we haven’t consulted India, we think it would let you come to India because it said you could come last year. We haven’t consulted Thailand or Ceylon but we will ask them if you can come if you want us to talk to them. If you are unable to remain in any of these countries, you may come to our country with some of your followers.

4. If you leave Tibet and if you organize resistance to the Chinese Communists, we are prepared to send you light arms through India, We think, however, that you should first ask India for arms and, if they cannot give them to you, ask India for permission for other countries to send them through India, If you are able to organize resistance within Tibet, we will also give consideration to supplying you with loans of money to keep up the resistance, spirit and morale of the Tibetan people. This is important if Tibet’s autonomy is to be maintained or regained in the event you should feel impelled to seek asylum outside of Tibet. We will discuss plans and programs of military assistance and loans of money with your representatives when you tell us who your representatives are.

5. We have already told your brother, Taktse Rimpochi, that he can go to our country and we are making arrangements for his departure.

We are willing to do all these things. We have sent you many messages to this effect. We do not know if you have received them. Therefore we ask you to write us whether you have received this letter. We ask you also to send us a personal representative or to write us which Tibetan representatives in India have your confidence.

1. For text of telegram 101, see p. 1733; see footnote 2 thereto regarding telegram 3764.
2. See the enclosure to Henderson’s letter of March 29 to Mathews, p. 1612.
3. Telegram 218 to New Delhi, July 26, 1951, not printed, stated that this paragraph did not fully reflect the Department’s position as stated in telegram 2051 to New Delhi, June 2 (see p. 1693); if the opportunity arose to discuss the subject again, the Department considered it essential that the U.S. position should be set forth in accordance with telegram 2051 (793B.00/7–1151).