Contact with CIA and Airdrops
In order to get necessary approval from the
U.S. administration for assistance to the Tibetan resistance,
the State Department required an official request from the Tibetan
government. In 1957, before the return of the team of trainees
from the U.S., General Andruk Gonpo Tashi asked Phala for a formal
request so the Tibetan resistance would not be left short of arms
and ammunition. Again in 1958, through a radio message to Athar
and Lotse, the CIA asked to obtain a request from the Tibetan
Authority. This was relayed to the concerned authority accordingly,
but the Tibetan authorities, for reasons better known to them,
did not bother to send one. However, because of the urgency of
the situation of the freedom fighters in Tibet, the Eisenhower
administration approved the CIA providing the support requested
by the guerillas, including resupply drops as well as additional
training of Tibetans by the CIA. So the log-awaited and the first
resupply drop was made in August 1958 without formal request from
the Tibetan government.
To combat the Communist threat,
Chushi Gangdruk asked the CIA through radio message
for more supply and training of more Tibetans
in addition to a pilot group of six Khampas, including
Mr. Athar, who were already trained and had been
parachuted into Samye Lhokha and Lithang, Kham.
A large number of volunteers were sent to Colorado
for guerilla training and about 40 of them later
airdropped into the Domshung area of Amdo Toma,
Markham and Chakra Pelber in Kham between 1952
and 1962; the rest of them came back to India
and were detailed to positions along the Indo-Tibetan
frontier lines for various intelligence works.
According to the book Tears of Lotus by Roger
E. McCarthy, who had a long career and was in
charge of the Tibetan Program for the CIA until
late 1961, an estimated 35-40 airdrops were made,
which calculates into a minimum of 550,000 to
800,000 pounds of weapons and ammunition. Weapons
consisted of British 303 rifles, U.S. M-1 and
M-2 rifles, 50 and 80 mm. motors, 57 and 75 mm.
recoilless rifles, 30-calibre light machine guns,
and 3.5 mm. Bazookas. Other materials included
sub-machine guns, hand grenades, short guns, TNT,
and C-3 and C-4. The valiant acts of those volunteers
to save Tibet are narrated in detail in the pages
of the book Four Rivers and Six Ranges by martyr
Andruk Gonpo Tashi, the Commander in Chief.
In the beginning of autumn 1958, just before
the first resupply drop was made, the headquarters of the resistance
organization were shifted from Tsona to Lhagyari, from which all
the resistance troops were detailed to carry out raids on the
Chinese until 1959 when the headquarters was in the process of
moving.
In September 1958 the Tibetan government in
Lhasa sent a second delegation to Lhagyari. This delegation consisted
of two fourth-ranking government officials, namely Tekhang Khenchung
Thupten Samchok and Tsepon Namseling. Their mission was to dissuade
the Khampas from their activities. They had the Kashag's letter
in their hands saying that the Khampas were reactionaries and
their activities were against the law of the land and therefore
they should surrender their arms peacefully to the authorities.
After discussion with the volunteer leaders, the representatives
agreed with our cause and chose to join the volunteer force rather
than return to Lhasa.
In the beginning of 1959 the resistance headquarters
at Lhagyari called a meeting of top leaders to discuss various
important matters of the organization. It was resulted then in
the meeting that a team of three delegates would go to India to
make contacts with the world outside for assistance and also to
raise funds from the Khampa traders in India who could not join
the resistance force. Subsequently Jago Namgyal Dorjee of Derge,
Sadhu Lobsang Nyandak of Tehor and Jangza Chozak of Lithang were
chose in the meeting to form the delegation. Not knowing what
was to happen in Lhasa in a month or so, the delegation left Lhagyari
secretly for India via Bhutan. Not very long after they reached
India, the news of the Dalai Lama's escape was in the headlines
of all the newspapers in India.
