893.00 Tibet/77
The Tibetan Foreign Office to Captain Ilia Tolstoy and Lieutenant Brooke Dolan 9
On the 21st day of 12th month, the year of Water Horse (corresponding to January 1943), you two came to the Foreign Office and brought a letter. We sent it to the Regent through Kashag. When you arrived at Delhi the British Foreign Office, through Mr. Ludlow, said that two American gentlemen wanted to come to Tibet with the purpose of giving a letter and present to the Dalai Lama from Mr. Roosevelt. When the letters would be delivered you promised to return to India if the Tibetan Government does not want you to go to China. Now you said that you have received a telegram from the American Government saying that you must go to Kansu Country of Lanchow, and ask Tibetan Government to allow you to go straight to China.
This is the first time that friendly relations were established between Tibet and the U. S. A. and Mr. Franklin D. Roosevelt also has sent letter and presents to the Dalai Lama. For above reasons the Tibetan Government allows you to go through and will not set a precedent which other foreigners can claim. So according to your wishes, you and your servants can proceed via Nagchu to Jyekundo and up to Sining. There are many dangers from robbers and thieves, so we are sending one of our monk officials or lay officer and one sergeant of Tashi Fort and 5 soldiers by the order of the Tibetan Government.
- This note and the letters from the Regent and the Dalai Lama, infra, were transmitted to the Department by the Office of Strategic Services in a letter dated April 6, 1944.↩