TIBET has long been one of the targets of the imperialist powers in their efforts to conquer China.

At the very outset, imperialism resorted to brute force　in the hope of occupying Tibet by armed invasion. The　first armed invasion of Tibet by the British imperialists　took place between the years 1886 and 1888, after their　earlier conquest of Nepal and Bhutan. The Tibetan people displayed remarkable perseverance and great courage in. fighting the British invaders. Their armed resistance was carried out without active support from the central　government in Peking (the Ching court at that time), which was corrupt and inefficient. The resistance went　on for almost two years but was defeated in the end　because the enemy was far superior in strength. This　resulted in the British seizure of Sikkim.

The second armed invasion was the so-called Younghusband "expedition" to Lhasa in 1904, over a trail of Tibetan corpses. Monasteries on the way were sacked. The correspondent of the London Daily Chronicle at the time　reported that "the expedition has looted monasteries, and　for weeks past, bales of plunder have been coming over　the passes into India. Their contents have brought joy　to the officers' wives and friends whose houses in the hill　stations began to look as some of them looked after the　sack of Peking four years ago"--that is, during the　Yi Ho Tuan (Boxer) Uprising. The Tibetans were finally　forced to sign a convention imposed by British bayonets.

Change of Tactics

On both occasions, however, the British imperialists　had failed to annex Tibet, thanks to the heroic resistance　of the Tibetan people. So they changed their tactics and　bought over a handful of reactionaries in Tibet to act as　their agents in an attempt to disintegrate Tibet from　within. They egged on their lackeys in Tibet to fight the　Ching government in the name of opposing national oppression so as to divert the Tibetans from their struggle　against imperialism to fighting against their own motherland. From then on there existed among the reactionaries　of the upper social strata in Tibet a so-called pro-British　clique bent on severing Tibet from its motherland and　drawing it into the imperialist sphere of influence. The　clamour for so.-called "independence" for Tibet in modern　times has from the very beginning been a dirty trick of the imperialists.

After the outbreak of the 1911 Revolution in China　to overthrow Manchu rule, the British imperialists lost　no time in inciting their proteges in Tibet to stage a　revolt. The Resident Representative of the Ching government in Lhasa was expelled. Many Tibetan patriots of the　ecclesiastical order and the nobility were murdered in cold　blood. Even the Ninth Panchen Erdeni, who was loyal　to the motherland, was forced to flee to the interior to　avoid persecution.

The next step taken by the British imperialists was　to put their plot into motion in the diplomatic field. Hand in glove with the Tibetan reactionaries, they engineered the Simla Conference in 1913-14, the so-called　"Conference Between China, Great Britain and Tibet," at　which they brought pressure to bear upon the then warlord government of China. At the conference, the British　terms were deliberately designed to annex Tibet and extend its colonial rule there through its colonial government in India. This aroused the indignation of the　Chinese people, the Tibetans in particular. The treaty　drafted at the Simla Conference was never recognized by　the Chinese Government.

In 1918, the British imperialists instigated the Tibetan reactionaries to send their troops to Chamdo, Tenko　and other places. The British Minister to China then offered his "mediation," demanded the convocation of　another "conference between China, Britain and Tibet,"　and tried to get the Chinese Government to sign the Simla conference draft treaty which aimed at the British seizure　of Tibet. But their scheme came to naught once again　in the face of the strong opposition of the Chinese people, including those of Tibet.

In the following decade or so, the British imperialists　never ceased to foster its influence, in Tibet and its underhand activities to undermine the relations between the Chinese Central Government and the local government of　Tibet.

Following the death of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama in　1933, Rabchen Hutuktu was named regent to administer　Tibetan affairs pending the assumption of power by the　Fourteenth (the present) Dalai Lama. Rabchen, reflecting　the patriotic will of the lamas and laymen in Tibet, worked to cement the ties between Tibet and the motherland. This, of course, was not to the liking of the British imperialists and the reactionaries in Tibet. They spread slanders about Rabchen and forced him to resign in 1943.But they didn't stop there. They framed up false charges against him, produced false evidence of an alleged "plot to revolt," and in 1947 put Rabchen under arrest and murdered him. They also poisoned Chochotsering, father of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, who was closely related to Rabchen and had the interests of the motherland at heart.

After Rabchen resigned from the office, the most　reactionary imperialist henchmen in the ruling clique in　Tibet, headed by Tagcha, Lokangwa, Lozong Tsashi, Shagob-ba, Lhalu, Shasu and Surkong, became the rulers　in Tibet. They made no secret of their intention of　breaking away from the motherland and turning Tibet　into an imperialist colony. In the summer of 1943, the　Tibetan local government (kasha), encouraged by the imperialists, abruptly announced the establishment of a socalled "Bureau of Foreign Affairs." This infuriated the　people throughout China. The Kuomintang government　at that time ordered its office in Lhasa not to have anything to do with this "bureau."

Dirty Trick Failed

The British imperialists and the Tibetan reactionaries　sought to play another trick. In 1947, an Asian conference　was convened in New Delhi, India, to which all Asian　countries were invited. Tibet was also invited as a separate "country." At the conference, the pennant of Tibetan Buddhism, the "snow mountains and lions," was deliberately displayed as the "national flag" of Tibet side by side with the national flags of other Asian countries. On a map of Asia displayed in the conference hall, Tibet was drawn outside the Chinese boundary in a vain attempt to make Tibet's "independent" status a fait accompli. But the imperialists were forced to make a correction when the Chinese people learnt of this with indignation and the Chinese delegation to the conference lodged a strong protest against it.

In plotting for the "independence of Tibet" the　British imperialists looked for pretexts in the relations　between China and India. Sir Basil Gould, once British　representative in Tibet, for instance, openly declared that　there should be a "buffer state" between the two big　powers, and that China should make Tibet a "buffer state."　so as to avoid conflict with India. In point of fact, China　and India have lived in peace for many years and there　is no need for any such "buffer." This proposal for a　"buffer state" is obviously just another guise for the. expansionist scheme of severing Tibet from China.

After the victory of the Chinese people in their war of resistance to Japanese aggression, the U.S. imperialists took the place of the Japanese colonialists in China in their efforts to turn China into an American colony. During World War II, the U.S. imperialists already tried　to get a finger in Tibetan affairs. Since then, they have　collaborated with the British imperialists in hatching the plot of "Tibetan independence."

U.S. Butts In

In October 1947, at the dictation of the imperialists, particularly the U.S. imperialists who were actively supporting the Kuomintang to fight the Chinese Communists　and people, the reactionary elements in Tibet organized　a "trade mission" headed by Tzepon Shagob-ba, to visit　the United States, Britain and other countries. Nominally　a "trade mission," it actually was to go to the United States　to further the imperialist plot for Tibet's "independence"　with the aid of Washington. After its arrival in the　United States in 1948, as arranged by the U.S. Government, the "mission" acted shamelessly against the motherland and　betrayed the interests of the Tibetan nationality. Members of the "mission" went about spreading the nonsense that Tibet has only religious ties with China and that China has no right whatsoever to govern Tibet.

Later events proved that the Tibetan reactionaries　had sent the "mission" to the United States and Britain　to discuss directly with their masters how to carry out　further activities against the motherland. In the summer　of 1949, when the whole of China was about to be liberated, the Anglo-U.S. imperialists, together with reactionary elements in Tibet, hastily conducted a "campaign　to drive out the Hans" in Lhasa. On July 8, the local　government of Tibet suddenly notified the office of the　Kuomintang government in Lhasa that all its staff members and their families were to leave Tibet immediately.Apparently, they hoped that in this way they would be able to sever the ties between Tibet and its motherland,to keep the People's Liberation Army out of Tibet and continue to enslave the Tibetan people.

It was at this time that an American named　Lowell Thomas went to Lhasa from Washington on a　"journalistic" assignment to carry out conspiratorial activities. In his book on the trip, Out of This World, Thomas　admitted that he suggested to the kasha firm opposition　to the entry of the People's Liberation Army into Tibet. If Tibet could organize a technically equipped guerrilla　force, he added, the P.L.A. could be prevented from entering Tibet. In October 1949, when Lowell Thomas　returned to the United States, American newspapers　shrieked that the United States was ready to recognize Tibet as an independent state and support its application for membership in the United Nations, and that the United States would give "military aid" to the local government of Tibet.

When the "campaign to drive out the Hans" was　initiated in Lhasa, Hsinhua News Agency was authorized　to publish an editorial (September 2, 1949) which pointed　out that the aim of the British and the U.S. imperialists　in instigating the incident "was not only to prevent the　Tibetan people from attaining liberation at a time when　the People's Liberation Army was about to liberate all　China but, furthermore, to turn them into the colonial　slaves of foreign imperialism."

But as history shows, all the schemes of the imperialists and of the reactionaries in Tibet and abroad to　sever Tibet from China are doomed to failure.

(This article appears on page 15, No. 18, 1959)