Disguised as a peasant, the Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959, accompanied by secret agents of the CIA.[Photo/www.ifeng.com]

Gyalo Thondup, the second elder brother of the Dalai Lama, published his memoirs in the United States, showing regret of cooperating with the American CIA in those years. “From Taipei, New Delhi to Washington, all have betrayed the Dalai Lama. The United States provoked conflicts only for their own interests,” said he.

Gyalo Thondup is 87 years old now. In cooperation with Dr. Anne F. Thurston, a professor of John Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, Gyalo wrote his memoirs titled The Noodle Maker of Kalimpong: The Untold Story of My Struggle for Tibet. Published by American Public Affairs Books in April this year, this book reveals a lot of inside stories.

Sent to Nanjing to study at 16
Born in 1928, Gyalo Thondup is the second elder brother of the 14th Dalai Lama, a graduate from Kuomintang’s Central Political School in Nanjing. According to his memoirs, he was sent by his father to Nanjing to study when he was 16 years old and began to contact with high-level political figures. At that time, Chiang Kai-shek and Soong May-ling often invited him to dinner at their home. From the late 1970s to the 1980s, he kept contact with the central government as Dalai’s personal representative.

“Dalai’s escape was designed in advance"

Gyalo Thondup said he quietly went to India to seek a retreat for the Dalai Lama when the PLA began to march into Tibet in 1950. He considered, if the Dalai Lama launched a rebellion, an escape route must be designed in advance. India, which had been deeply interested in Tibet, was undoubtedly the best choice. In India, the CIA kept contact with him. According to their plan, an airdrop way could be adopted to help Tibetan separatists with a radio and weapons enter China. After the CIA’s training, two Tibetans successfully approached the Dalai Lama and accompanied him to flee. On the way of escape, they kept contact with India via a radio.

“Lifelong regret of having cooperated with the CIA"

The Dalai Lama defected in 1959. In the subsequent three decades, Gyalo Thondup had been trying to steer a course among the CIA, Indian intelligence department and Chiang Kai-shek’s administration in Taiwan. It can be said that he had been involved in dealing with various international political forces for the Dalai. He also witnessed America’s attitude towards the “Tibet issue”, wavering in line with the change of Sino-US relations. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal in 2009, he said: “Americans can only cause some troubles to China but has no long-term policy on Tibet. The Dalai Lama has never been regarded as some role.” At the end of his memoirs, he bluntly revealed that America provoked Han-Tibetan conflicts only for its own interests and succeeded in deepening India’s misunderstanding and confusion by making use of this matter. “Cooperation with the CIA is a lifelong regret of mine,” he said.

“The central leaders are very kind and polite to me”

According to his memoirs, from the late 1970s, he frequently went to India and Hong Kong to know what happened to the Chinese mainland and the Chinese leaders’ attitude towards Dalai. He was received by Deng Xiaoping, Xi Zhongxun, Ulanhu and other leaders in Beijing. Deng was very broad-minded and put forward many policies for the overseas Tibetan compatriots, such as “all patriots belong to one big family, whether they rally to the common cause early or late” and “having freedom to come and go and letting the past be forgotten”. “Xi Zhongxun, Ulanhu and other leaders are very kind and polite to me. We often had very pleasant conversations.”