Office of the Historian

403. Memorandum of Conversation0

Washington, October 27, 1960.

SUBJECT

  • Tibet

PARTICIPANTS

  • The Secretary
  • Mr. Gyalo Thondup, Brother of the Dalai Lama
  • Mr. Rinchen Sadutshang
  • Mr. Martin, Director, CA

Mr. Gyalo Thondup, brother of the Dalai Lama, accompanied by Mr. Rinchen Sadutshang, called on the Secretary this morning. Mr. Thondup opened the conversation by saying he had been instructed by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, to call on the Secretary to express his gratitude and that of the Tibetan people for the sympathy and support which they had received from the United States. Mr. Thondup then referred to the Tibetan item on the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly and expressed hope that the United States would support a resolution on Tibet. He went on to say that the Dalai Lama had instructed him to solicit the advice of the Secretary on the problem of keeping the Tibetan issue alive before the world.

The Secretary thanked Mr. Thondup for bringing the message from the Dalai Lama and asked him to convey to the Dalai Lama his best wishes. Referring to the Tibetan item at the UN, the Secretary said that, as he had pointed out in his correspondence with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, the United States intended to consult closely with the co-sponsors, Malaya and Thailand, on this matter and to support their efforts in every way that we could.

In connection with the problem of keeping the Tibetan issue alive before the world, the Secretary suggested that perhaps travel to various countries by the Dalai Lama, in his capacity as a great religious leader rather than as head of state, would be the most effective way of accomplishing this aim. The Secretary pointed out that no one could bring the message of the Tibetan people to the world as effectively as the Dalai Lama himself. The Secretary made it clear that the Dalai Lama would be most welcome if he wished to come to the United States as a religious leader.

Mr. Thondup thanked the Secretary for his advice and promised to convey it to the Dalai Lama. He agreed that it would be desirable for the [Page 813] Dalai Lama to travel, but mentioned that working out his itinerary was a complicated problem and there would have to be consultation with the Indian Government.

Mr. Thondup then spoke of the desirability of including in any United Nations resolution on Tibet a provision supporting Tibetan self-determination. He felt there was considerable reluctance among various delegations at the United Nations to back a resolution which would include such a provision. He asked the Secretary if the United States Government would use its influence and good offices with other countries in favor of such a provision. The Secretary replied that as Mr. Thondup knew, the United States Government strongly supported the principle of self-determination for Tibet and we would like to see this principle included in a United Nations resolution on Tibet. However, it was important to determine what kind of resolution would gain the widest support in the General Assembly. It would be better not to have a resolution containing such a provision if such a resolution would be defeated.

Mr. Thondup agreed with the Secretary. He then asked for the Secretary’s advice as to how we could assure that the Tibetan issue would be considered in future United Nations General Assemblies. He thought it important not to let the matter drop with the current session. The Secretary said that this problem, of course, would need careful consideration. Speaking off the cuff, he thought it might be useful to explore the possibility of including in any resolution on the Tibetan question a provision calling on the Secretary General to report at the next GA on what progress had been made. The Secretary said he did not know if this suggestion would be feasible, but it would be worth exploring.

Mr. Thondup thanked the Secretary for his opinion. He said that before taking leave he would again like to convey the Dalai Lama’s request for U.S. support of the cause of Tibetan freedom. The Secretary said that, as Mr. Thondup knew, we had been helping in every way we can and would continue to do so. Mr. Thondup expressed appreciation for the position of the United States and thanked the Secretary for taking time from his busy schedule to see him.

  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793B.00/10–2760. Confidential; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Martin and approved in S on November 3.↩