Soviet Russia and Tibet, The Debacle of Secret Diplomacy, 1918-1930s, [Brill's Tibetan Studies Library, Volume 4]

"Soviet Russia and Tibet" surveys for the first time the entire history of religious and political relations between Russia and Tibet, from the 17th to the late 20th century, focusing on Soviet attempts to win Lhasa over in the 1920s. This is the first investigation into the little-known Bolshevik foreign ministry's strenuous efforts to win Lhasa over to the Soviet cause in the 1920s. Examining the history of relations between Russia (tsarist, Soviet and post-Soviet) and Tibet from the 17th century to the 1990s, the author puts at the core of his narrative the previously unknown story of clandestine negotiations between the Soviet government and the 13th Dalai Lama, forming part of Moscow's bitter struggle against British imperialism in Asia. The book provides insight into Soviet secret diplomacy and draws important conclusions relating to the history of Anglo-Russian competition for Tibet and Tibet's status prior to 1951.