893.00 Tibet/66
The Chargé in China ( Atcheson ) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 14.]
Sir: I have the honor to enclose28 a copy of despatch No. 117, August 11, 1943, from the Embassy officer at Chengtu29 entitled “Four Facets of the Tibetan Problem”. The four “facets”, or points of view, mentioned by Mr. Smith are those of (1) the Central Government, which desires the extension of Chinese sovereignty over Tibet in fact as well as in name, (2) the Tibetans, who apparently want only to be left alone, (3) the British, who oppose direct Chinese control over Tibet, and (4) the Chinese border war lords who are busy “playing both ends against the middle” in an effort to bolster their own positions.
Summary. Information obtained from an advisor on Tibetan affairs to the Szechwan Provincial Government and former minor official in a border region of Tibet is to the effect that there are at least eight Japanese bonzes living in Tibet but that they are so closely watched that their activities are not dangerous to the cause of the United Nations; that, probably in April of this year, Chiang Kai-shek issued orders to the Chairmen of the three provinces bordering on Tibet to move their troops further into Tibetan controlled areas; but that due to lack of ability or desire on the part of the Chairmen the scheduled “drive” amounted only to a few minor border incidents. This informant, as well as President Y. P. Mei of Yenching University and another Yenching professor with special knowledge of Tibet,30 expressed the opinion that any attempt to extend Chinese control over Tibet by force would be bitterly resented by the Tibetans (enclosure No. 2). In background “Notes on Tibet” (obtained from a British Indian official) written by a private scholar who is said to have access to official British sources of information (enclosure No. 3) the nationality and culture of the Tibetans as distinct from those of the Chinese are stressed; mention is made of the “British policy of supporting Tibetan independence or complete autonomy …31 based on the interest of India in peaceful and orderly conditions along the frontier”; and it is pointed out that as “the new China” (as contrasted with the “Manchu dynastic empire”) “is based on a purely Chinese nationalism and as Tibet … has now for a generation been independent de facto of Chinese rule, there does not seem to be any good ground on which China can now assert an unqualified right of sovereignty …” A quotation from a translation of China’s Destiny by Chiang Kai-shek (enclosure No. 4) indicates that the Generalissimo feels that China should make “plans” for “the restoration of our national sovereignty” over Tibet. End of summary.
There have been increasing indications in recent months that the Chinese Central Government desires, and as soon as it feels in a position to, will attempt to extend its control over Tibet by force of arms. It is almost a foregone conclusion that Tibet will resist such encroachment by all means at its command, including, presumably, appeals to Great Britain and to the United States.
For over a quarter of a century Great Britain has opposed the exercise by China of direct control over Tibet and there has been no indication that this policy will be modified in the near future.
Respectfully yours,