Doug Livermore
Between 1950 in addition to 1972, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), inwards unopen cooperation alongside the Departments of State (DoS) in addition to Defense (DoD), conducted a comprehensive covert activity drive inwards back upwardly of Tibetan resistance movements fighting against Communist Chinese trouble of their homeland. The drive consisted of “political action, propaganda, paramilitary, in addition to intelligence operations” intended to internally weaken in addition to undermine the expansionist ambitions of the People’s Republic of PRC (PRC).[i] Following the Oct 1950 invasion of Tibet yesteryear the PRC, the CIA’s Special Activities Division (SAD) inserted teams into Tibet to train, advise, in addition to assist Tibetans who were already fighting the Communists.[ii]
A seat out of Tibetan resistance fighters were specially selected in addition to exfiltrated to the Pacific isle of Saipan in addition to Camp Hale inwards Colorado to undergo grooming inwards demolitions, hole-and-corner communication, in addition to other critical skills.[iii] Operating out of neighboring Nepal in addition to India, SAD-directed teams of Tibetan rebels waged a ceaseless drive against the Chinese that tied downwards meaning PRC troop strength, strengthened international opposition to Chinese atrocities against Tibetans, in addition to prevented the PRC from effectively pursuing its regional ambitions inwards Southern Asia to farther spread its communist ideology.[iv] The CIA continued to back upwardly the Tibetan resistance until 1972, when U.S. President Richard Nixon changed course of study in addition to decided to normalize relations alongside the PRC.[v]
Though the CIA’s Tibetan covert activity drive never successfully ousted the Chinese Communists, the drive was quite successful inwards accomplishing the U.S.’s express objectives. Through its covert activity campaign, the U.S. sought to internally weaken the PRC through sustained attrition in addition to distraction inwards club to forbid the Chinese from spreading their build of communism across Southern Asia – specifically India.[vi] The CIA’s covert activity drive succeeded inwards 3 ways: it depleted the PRC’s already express resources, which farther weakened the state; it undermined the PRC’s international standing in addition to express its regional influence; in addition to it prevented the expansion of the PRC’s borders.[vii]
Specifically, the CIA’s covert activity drive forced the PRC to commit vast numbers of troops in addition to resources to pacify Tibet, which delayed a seat out of other critical initiatives that the immature communist province sought to pursue. In 1959, the CIA estimated that the PRC had over 60,000 soldiers deployed precisely to subjugate Tibet, a forcefulness that required 256 tons of supplies daily to sustain. [viii] The PRC, which had precisely successfully ended its ain civil state of war inwards 1949, saw its armed services stretched incredibly sparse yesteryear its Tibetan occupation. This strain probable undermined the powerfulness of the Chinese regime inwards Beijing to effectively consolidate total command over the expansive country, farther encumbering efforts to pursue its strategic ambitions.
Adding to the PRC’s frustrations was the widespread international condemnation resulting from the increasingly fell pacification drive that PRC felt compelled to undertake to test in addition to quell the Tibetan rebellion.[ix] Much of this international focus was (and even so is) cultivated yesteryear Tenzin Gyatso, the 14thDalai Lama in addition to the spiritual leader of the bulk of Tibet’s Buddhists. During a specially vehement 1959 revolt, The Dalai Lama fled from Tibet alongside over 100,000 of his followers, escaping alongside the assist of the CIA to Bharat where he established a Tibetan “government inwards exile”.[x] This regime has been a constant thorn inwards the PRC’s side, alongside the Dalai Lama in addition to his disciples incessantly lobbying the international community for Tibetan rights in addition to autonomy from China.[xi] The sustained focus on Chinese atrocities against the Tibetans significantly undermined the PRC’s regional standing in addition to efforts to strengthen ties alongside neighbors.
Finally, the CIA’s covert activity drive was successful inwards its original objective of preventing the spread of communism across South Asia. Mao Tse-tung, the chairman of the PRC’s Communist Party, was convinced during an extended remain inwards the Soviet Union betwixt 1949 in addition to 1950 to undertake the leadership purpose inwards “liberating” Asia for the induce of global communism.[xii] However, the PRC’s inability to fully command Tibet, largely due to the CIA’s covert activity drive that sustained indigenous resistance, denied PRC the work of substitution terrain that mightiness receive got enabled armed services activity against Bharat or fifty-fifty the Middle East.[xiii] The covert activity drive therefore protected the U.S. or its allies from the take away to create out a major solid ground conflict inwards Southern Asia against the armed services forces of the PRC.
The CIA achieved a meaning victory for the U.S. alongside a minimal commitment of American resources: total expenditures per yr amounted to roughly $1.7 i G k dollars.[xiv] However, it is of import to depository fiscal establishment complaint that the CIA’s covert activity drive toll tens of thousands of Tibetans their lives, in addition to the supported resistance encouraged vehement oppression from the Chinese occupiers. Further, when relations betwixt the U.S. in addition to PRC normalized nether President Nixon, many Tibetans, in addition to fifty-fifty a few CIA SAD officers, saw the sudden determination inwards 1972 to cease back upwardly of the Tibetan resistance every bit tantamount to betrayal.[xv] The Dalai Lamadescribed this sentiment alongside about bitterness inwards a 1998 interview, maxim that the CIA had aided his cause, “not because they cared well-nigh Tibetan independence, but every bit component division of their worldwide efforts to destabilize all Communist governments.”[xvi] Despite such accusations of duplicity, the CIA achieved its stated objectives through this covert activity campaign.
The CIA’s efforts inwards Tibet were successful because the objectives of the covert activity drive were reasonably express in addition to achievable alongside the resources available. While the Tibetans themselves may receive got nursed illusions of eventually driving all Chinese occupiers from their homeland, it is clear from the available records that the CIA in addition to the political leadership inwards Washington were content to only destabilize PRC in addition to frustrate the Communists’ designs to spread their ideology throughout Asia.[xvii] Once the political winds changed in addition to relations started to amend betwixt the U.S. in addition to China, continuation of back upwardly to the Tibetan resistance was no longer inwards the best interests of the U.S. The U.S. successfully achieved its objectives through this covert activity drive because those objectives were achievable without escalating into a wider conflict.
Other successful covert actions, such every bit the SAD-spearheaded coups that toppled the governments of Mohammed Mosaddegh of Islamic Republic of Iran inwards 1953[xviii] in addition to Jacobo Arbenz of Republic of Guatemala inwards 1954[xix] are idea yesteryear historians to receive got given the CIA in addition to subsequent U.S presidents an overly optimistic thought of the potential for covert activity to attain outsized objectives. This overconfidence probable led to the 1961 “Bay of Pigs” invasion inwards Cuba, which was a tremendous failure because its objectives were overly ambitious in addition to unachievable given the express resources that the U.S. committed.[xx] Rather than hold upwardly greeted every bit liberators in addition to reinforced yesteryear masses of Cubans dissidents flocking to their cause, the US-backed Cuban rebel forces were rapidly overwhelmed. The most of import lesson that covert activity practitioners in addition to policymakers who watch the work of covert activity should accept from the highly effective drive inwards Tibet is that such campaigns must hold upwardly reasonably express inwards their objectives to maximize the chances of success.
End Notes
[i] “Memorandum for the 303 Committee,” U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian, Jan 28, 1968, accessed Oct 10, 2017, https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v30/d342.
[ii] Kenneth Conboy in addition to James Morrison, The CIA's Secret War inwards Tibet, The University Press of Kansas, 2002.
[iii] John Roberts in addition to Elizabeth Roberts, Freeing Tibet: 50 Years of Struggle, Resilience, in addition to Hope, (New York, AMACOM Books, 2009), 43-46.
[iv] Joe Bageant, “CIA’s Secret War inwards Tibet,” History.net, June 12, 2006, accessed Oct 10, 2017, http://www.historynet.com/cias-secret-war-in-tibet.htm.
[v] Jonathan Mirsky, "Tibet: The CIA’s Cancelled War," The New York Review of Books, Apr 9, 2013, accessed Oct 10, 2017, http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2013/04/09/cias-cancelled-war-tibet/.
[vi] “Chinese Communist Motives inwards Invasion of Tibet,” Central Intelligence Agency, Nov 16, 1950, accessed Oct 10, 2017, https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP82-00457R006300270010-6.pdf.
[vii] “Memorandum for the 303 Committee,” U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian, Jan 28, 1968.
[viii] “Logistical Problems of the Tibetan Campaign,” Central Intelligence Agency, Apr 17, 1959, accessed Oct 10, 2017, https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP79T01049A001900130001-6.pdf.
[ix] “Tibet in addition to PRC Background Paper,” Central Intelligence Agency, Apr 27, 1959, accessed Oct 10, 2017, 35-38, https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP82R00025R000100060022-5.pdf.
[x] Jennifer Latson, “How in addition to Why the Dalai Lama Left Tibet,” Time Magazine, March 17, 2015, accessed Oct 10, 2017, http://time.com/3742242/dalai-lama-1959/.
[xi] Michael Backman, “Behind Dalai Lama’s Holy Cloak,” The Age, May 23, 2007, accessed Oct 10, 2017, http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/behind-dalai-lamas-holy-cloak/2007/05/22/1179601410290.html.
[xii] “Chinese Communist Motives inwards Invasion of Tibet,” Central Intelligence Agency, Nov 16, 1950, accessed Oct 10, 2017, https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP82-00457R006300270010-6.pdf.
[xiii] “Resistance inwards Tibet,” Central Intelligence Agency, July 21, 1958, accessed Oct 11, 2017, https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP79-01006A000100090001-7.pdf.
[xiv] “Memorandum for the Special Group,” U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian, Jan 9, 1964, accessed Oct 10, 2017, https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v30/d337.
[xv] Joe Bageant, “CIA’s Secret War inwards Tibet,” History.net, June 12, 2006, accessed Oct 10, 2017, http://www.historynet.com/cias-secret-war-in-tibet.htm.
[xvi] Jim Mann, “CIA Gave Aid to Tibetan Exiles inwards '60s, Files Show,” Los Angeles Times, September 15, 1998, accessed Oct 10, 2017, http://articles.latimes.com/1998/sep/15/news/mn-22993.
[xvii] “Memorandum for the Special Group,” Department of State Office of the Historian, Jan 9, 1964.
[xviii] James Risen, “SECRETS OF HISTORY: The C.I.A. inwards Islamic Republic of Iran -- H5N1 special report. How a Plot Convulsed Islamic Republic of Iran inwards '53 (and inwards '79),” The New York Times, Apr 16, 2000, accessed Oct 10, 2017, http://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/16/world/secrets-history-cia-iran-special-report-plot-convulsed-iran-53-79.html?pagewanted=all.
[xix] Nick Cullather, Secret History: The CIA's Classified Account of Its Operations inwards Guatemala, 1952–1954, (Stanford University Press: 1999).
[xx] Grayston Lynch, Decision for Disaster: Betrayal at the Bay of Pigs, (Dulles, VA: Potomac Books, 2000)
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