Russia's Tibet File: The unknown pages in the history of Tibet's independence

170 Pages·1996·87.134 MB·English

by  Nikolai S. Kuleshov

R u s s i a s
1
T i b e t F i l e
f'IIKOLAI • KULESHOV

Russia's
Tibet File
The unknown pages in the
history of Tibet's independence
by
Nikolai S. Kuleshov
Edited by
Alexander Berzin and John Bray
LIBRARY OF TIBETAN WORKS AND ARCHIVES
© Copyright 1996 Library of Tibetan Works and Archives
First edition 1996
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be reprodl!ced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior
permission of the publisher.
ISBl\T:81-86470-05-0
Published by the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharam
sala 176215, India, and printed at Indraprastha Press (CBT), Nehru
House, New Delhi-110002.
CONTENTS
Publisher's Note
V
Author's Preface vii
.
Foreword
lX
Introduction xiii
Chapter One:
Dotjiev's first missions to Russia in 1898-9 and 1901 1
Chapter Two:
Curzon's reaction 11
Chapter Three:
The Younghusband expedition to Tibet 1903-1904 18
Chapter Four:
The Lhasa Convention 27
Chapter Five:
The Dalai Lama's escape to Mongolia 36
Chapter Six:
Curzon's fantasies are put to an end 44
Chapter Seven:
Forward to a cordial consent 54
Chapter Eight:
The dragon by the gates of India 63
Chapter Nine:
The heavenly Tsar and the worldly Tsar 72
Chapter Ten:
On a visit to the viceroy 93
Chapter Eleven:
"If only it is done sub rosa" 109
Conclusion 127
Notes 129
Bibliography 139
DEDICATION
To my grandson Sviatoslav
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives is pleased to publish
Russia's Tibet File: the unknown pages in the history ofT ibet's indepen
dence by Russian historian and author Dr. Kuleshov, who offers a
scholarly and insightful glimpse behind the scenes of the political
life of Central Asia in the early 20th century. Dr. Kuleshov presents
us with new evidence on the involvement of the Russian, British
Indian and Chinese governments in the affairs of Tibet.
The relationships between the pivotal figures of the period and
place-His Holiness the 13th Dalai Lama, Agvan Dotjiev, Lord
Nathaniel Curzon and Sir Francis Younghusband-are explored
and given new significance. Basing his work on an analysis of Rus
sian, Indian and British archival material in addition to Orinese
reference sources, Dr. Kuleshov has produced a thought-provok
ing and challenging new interpretation of the events often described
previously in works on Tibetan political history.
We trust that readers will find some new materials of interest
in this book and realise its full worth as an independent historical
study of the overlapping worlds of Tibet, Russia, British India and
· China.
Gyatsho Tshering
Director, LTWA
August 1996
His Holiness the 13 th Dalai Lama of Tibet
AUTHOR'S PREFACE
Around 100 years ago, international relations in central Asia be
came the object of close attention by the world press. Public and
scientific literature on this issue began to appear during this pe
riod; in the present time, that literature and the historical facts it
contains are being re-examined.
New conceptions of this subject have been forwarded by this
author in papers presented in England, India and Japan, at inter
national conferences of orientalists, and in public discussion at the
Royal Academy of the Arts (London, 1992); they were also the ba
sis of discussions between His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama and
myself when His Holiness visited Moscow in 1991. Further to His
Holiness' approval, Tibetans have sponsored the translation of this
manuscript into English for publication.
Russia's Tibet File: the unknown pages in the history ofT ibet's inde
pendence is a simplified and condensed version of my detailed
monograph Rossia i Tibet (Russia and Tibet), published in Russian in
1992.
I hope that this condensed work in the English language will
be of value to many readers, and that the combination of docu
mentation from the Russian Foreign Policy Archives and my own
logical interpretation of events will provide a persuasive thesis.
I am grateful to ·my colleagues who have corrected the English
text, and primarily to Dr. Alexander Berzin and Mr. John Bray who
not only edited the manuscript but also overcame some of its short
comings in the final preparation stages of publication.
DR. N.S.
KULESHOV
Moscow, March 1996
-..
Khambo Agvan Dorjicv