Escape from the Land of Snows (34 page)

  
1
“dizzying, frightening blur”: Dalai Lama,
Freedom
, p. 135.

  
2
“between two volcanoes”: Dalai Lama,
My Land
, p. 172.

  
3
“They were almost”: Dalai Lama,
Freedom
, p. 124.

  
4
“I feared a massive, violent reprisal”: Ibid., p. 117.

  
5
“There was an unforgettable scent”: Dalai Lama,
My Land
, p. 33.

  
6
“driven into barbarism”: Ibid., p. 137.

  
7
Some 40,000 Chinese troops: Dunham, p. 264.

  
1
Details of the death of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama and the search for the Fourteenth are drawn from the Dalai Lama’s two memoirs, from Goodman, and from Avedon.

  
2
“everywhere else is to be feared”: Gyatso, p. 13.

  
3
“In 1950”: The population figures are from French, pp. 278–79.

  
4
“ ‘Good,’ he said”: quoted in Avedon, p. 9.

  
5
“Clear springs”: Dalai Lama,
My Land
, p. 16.

  
6
“I used to torture”: Q&A with the Dalai Lama, University of California at Santa Barbara, February 24, 2009.

  
7
“I have memories”: Quoted in Chhaya, p. 52.

  
8
“I’m packing”: Quoted in Goodman, p. 13.

  
9
“Now that we had witnessed”: Ibid., p. 14.

  
1
What the Dalai Lama especially remembered: Dalai Lama,
Freedom
, p. 14.

  
2
“gargantuan mountains”: Ibid., p. 13.

  
3
“as if I were in a great park”: Dalai Lama,
My Land
, p. 33.

  
4
“huge monastery”: Quoted in Hopkirk, p. 13.

  
5
“organized gold-bricking”:
Life
magazine, April 6, 1959.

  
6
And one young monk: The reference is to Tashi Tsering’s memoir
The Struggle for Modern Tibet
. Armonk, N.Y.: East Gate Books, 2000.

  
7
“the last temporal liberty”: Dalai Lama,
Freedom
, p. 15.

  
8
“a solid, solemn”: Quoted in Goodman, p. 64.

  
9
“So strong”: Dalai Lama,
Freedom
, p. 19.

10
“I missed my mother”: Quoted in Craig, p. 176.

11
“It was pitifully cold and ill-lit”: Dalai Lama,
Freedom
, p. 21.

12
“My only interest was in playing”: Q&A with the Dalai Lama, University of California at Santa Barbara, April 24, 2009.

13
“When he left after each visit”: Dalai Lama,
Freedom
, p. 20.

14
“Those children”: Quoted in Craig, p. 54.

15
“They unnerved me”: Dalai Lama,
My Land
, p. 40.

16
“He laughed enthusiastically”: Harrer, p. 250.

17
“From the first day”: Dalai Lama and Carrièrre, p. 162.

18
“not yet human”: Smith, p. 21.

19
“a mere puppet”: Petech, p. 285.

20
“very often”: Lixiong, Wang, “Reflections on Tibet.”
New Left Review
, March–April 2002, p. 81.

21
“Many of them”: Laird, p. 280.

  
1
“[They] were held to be like butchers”: Dalai Lama,
Freedom
, p. 52.

  
2
“liberate our compatriots”: Quoted in Knaus, p. 47.

  
3
“What is meant”: Norbu, Dawa, “The 1959 Tibetan Rebellion: An Interpretation.”
China Quarterly
, no. 77 (March 1979), p. 90.

  
4
“The relationship”: Quoted in Shakya, p. 70.

  
5
“When Great Heroes”: Quoted in Chang, p. 14.

  
6
Watch us kill:
Ibid., p. 54.

  
7
“The noblemen were getting truckloads”: Interview with Gray Tuttle.

  
8
“The challenge filled me”: Quoted in Levenson,
Tenzin Gyatso
, p. 78.

  
9
“If you don’t make”: Quoted in Goldstein, vol. 1, p. 705.

10
“I had to leave”: Quoted in Craig, p. 78.

11
“began to realize”: Ibid., p. 127.

12
“I could not believe”: Dalai Lama,
Freedom
, p. 63.

13
“Some of your advisors”: Quoted in Shakya, p. 81.

14
“He was isolated”: Quoted in Strober, p. 107.

15
“If Tibet is to be saved”: Quoted in Knaus, p. 97.

16
“Tibet will once again”: Quoted in Shakya, p. 80.

17
“half convinced”: Dalai Lama,
Freedom
, p. 66.

18
“Regardless of all the suspicion”: Ibid., p. 67.

19
“What comes naturally”: Quoted in Goldstein, vol. 2, p. 199.

20
“I had still had no theoretical training”: Dalai Lama,
My Land
, p. 97.

21
“His Holiness is very humble”: Quoted in Laird, p. 322.

22
“He thought people were so good”: Interview with Tendzin Choegyal.

23
“Absolute selfishness”: Chang, p. 14.

24
“Of course there are people”: Ibid., p. 13.

25
“truly respect”: Quoted in Goldstein, vol. 2, p. 180.

26
“When the Chinese first came”: Tibet Oral History Project, testimony of Thupten Chonphel, interview #26.

27
“We had a saying”: Interview with Topgay, Tibetan refugee and former security official in the Tibetan government-in-exile. Dharamsala, India, January 2009.

28
“Make every possible effort”: Quoted in Shakya, p. 93.

29
“The more I looked”: Dalai Lama,
Freedom
, p. 93.

30
“If you’ve ever been”: Interview with Gray Tuttle.

31
“There is everywhere”: Quoted in Shakya, p. 117.

32
“old and ruined”: Dalai Lama interview with
Welt Online
, July 10, 2009.

33
“I felt”: Dalai Lama,
Freedom
, p. 88.

34
“the pace of reform”: Ibid., p. 89.

35
“How could he”: Dalai Lama,
Freedom
, p. 99.

  
1
“We could not even look up”: Tibet Oral History Project, testimony of Dorji Damdul (alias), interview #16.

  
2
“They would say”: Ibid.

  
3
“The Chinese captured”: Ibid.

  
4
“were brought on yaks”: Ibid.

  
5
“most precious possession”: Quoted in Feigon, p. 32.

  
6
“You never heard the name mentioned”: Harrer, p. 93.

  
7
One Khampa refugee: Tibet Oral History Project.

  
8
As the buglers: Quoted in Dunham, p. 255.

  
9
“Many of our loved ones”: Ibid., p. 207.

10
“Gyalo said”: Athar’s unpublished memoir, unpaginated.

11
“At one point”: Ibid.

12
“I could see”: Ibid.

13
“We pulled out”: Ibid.

14
“A word from the Dalai Lama”: Peissel, p. 70.

15
“When you have a piece”: Quoted in Craig, p. 210.

16
“If I was recognized”: Athar’s unpublished memoir, unpaginated.

17
“We’d send a message”: Interview with John Greaney.

18
Phala remembered: Volume 2 of an unpublished history of the Tibetan resistance movement by Lhamo Tsering, translated by Warren Smith, Jr. A rough draft of the relevent passage was published on
mikeldunham.blogs.com
.

19
“As things stand”:
Indian Express
, December 15, 1958.

20
“an unguided missile”: Interview with Ken Knaus.

21
“a constant source”: Quoted in Craig, p. 180.

22
“My classmates were all talking”: Interview with Tendzin Choegyal.

23
“What could happen?”: Quoted in Goodman, p. 274.

  
1
This city:
Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York
, 1905, vol. 37, p. 184.

  
2
“Hail to the liberation”: Quoted in Dunham, p. 119.

  
3
“You are people who are lagging”: Tibet Oral History Project, testimony of Sonam Dorjee, interview #86.

  
4
“No one could speak their mind”: Quoted in Goodman, p. 274.

  
5
“Gradually, life in Lhasa:” Quoted in Tsering, p. 168.

  
6
“I would sacrifice”: The quote, and details of the morning of March 10, are from an interview with Lobsang Yonten.

  
7
“It had been our painful experience”: Dalai Lama,
My Land
, p. 165.

  
8
“By 1959”: Interview with Narkyid.

  
9
“The Tibetans were out of their minds”: Khetsun, p. 23.

10
“It is time”: Quoted in Shakya, p. 187.

11
“Will you be responsible”: Dalai Lama,
My Land
, p. 167.

12
“What are you doing?!”: Quoted in Goodman, p. 295.

13
“I didn’t know”: Interview with Tendzin Choegyal.

14
“puffs of vapor”: Gyatso, p. 49.

15
“All the people”: Interview with Lobsang Yonten.

16
“I was surprised”: Interview with Narkyid.

17
“Chamdo had disappeared”: Gyatso, p. 50.

18
“Some in the crowd”: Interview with Tenpa Soepa.

19
“Tibetans were angry”: Interview with Pusang, former Tibetan army doctor and refugee. Dharmsala, India, January 2009.

20
“I remember saying”: Quoted in Craig, p. 215.

21
“The Lhasan people”: Dalai Lama,
My Land
, p. 173.

22
“From my window”: Shan Chao,
Peking Review
, vol. 18, May 5, 1959.

23
And he secretly admired: Dalai Lama,
My Land
, p. 160.

24
The CIA agent Ken Knaus: Interview with Ken Knaus.

25
“I could feel the tension”: Dalai Lama,
My Land
, p. 172.

26
“They are raising”: Shan Chao,
Peking Review
, vol. 18, May 5, 1959.

27
“They were getting”: Interview with Tendzin Choegyal.

28
His mother was growing frantic: For Diki Tsering’s account of this day, see her memoir,
Dalai Lama, My Son
, pp. 168–72.

29
“Many officials”: Shakya, p. 197.

30
“Reactionary elements”: Quoted in Goodman, p. 296.

31
“You’re too young”: Interview with Lobsang Yonten.

32
One Tibetan doctor: Interview with Pusang. 87 “The main fear”: Quoted in Patt, p. 145.

33
“She was very happy”: Interview with Tendzin Choegyal.

34
“The officials kept saying”: Interview with Lobsang Yonten.

35
“You’re too young”: Ibid.

36
“The loudspeakers were saying”: Interview with Lobsang Norbu.

37
“I was a tough guy”: Ibid.

38
“He pleaded with those”: Interview with Lobsang Khunchok.

39
“My spiritual comrades”: Ibid.

40
but they had essentially given up: Dunham, p. 201.

  
1
“I had an atlas”: Dalai Lama,
My Land
, p. 57.

  
2
“I wanted to be like Moses”: Patterson’s story is taken from his memoir
Patterson of Tibet
.

  
3
“George,” the British High Commissioner finally broke in: Ibid, p. 324.

  
4
Among them was: The sketch of Barber’s career is drawn from his obituaries in the
Times
, the
Daily Mail
, and other London newspapers.

  
5
“Publicity,” he notes: Interview with John Greaney.

  
6
“I went over”: Interview with Ken Knaus.

  
7
“Des was very handsome”: The portrait of FitzGerald is drawn largely from Thomas’s
The Very Best Men
.

  
8
I must say: Quoted in Thomas, p. 198.

  
9
“The Tibetans were people fighting”: Interview with Ken Knaus.

10
“They were very reverent”: Ibid.

11
“the heartbeat of every Tibetan”: Athar’s unpublished memoir, unpaginated.

12
“Everybody wanted to be on the Task Force”: Interview with John Greaney.

13
“One of the most romantic programs”: Thomas, p. 276.

14
When Greaney was called: Interview with John Greaney.

15
“It was a flea biting an elephant”: Thomas, p. 278.

16
The Khampas, who kept a photograph: From
The Shadow Circus: The CIA in Tibet
, a White Crane Films Production for BBC Television, 1998.

17
“We really felt”: Athar’s unpublished memoir, unpaginated.

  
1
“It looks as if”: Shan Chao,
Peking Review
, vol. 18, May 5, 1959.

  
2
“The independent country”: Norbu,
China’s Tibet Policy
, p. 225.

  
3
“like a magnificent”: Dalai Lama,
Freedom
, p. 214.

  
4
“down to the last”: Ibid., p. 136.

  
5
“a blatant, outright fabrication”: Quoted in Barber,
From the Land
, p. 110.

  
6
“Within the palace”: Dalai Lama,
My Land
, p. 194.

  
7
“the odds against”: Dalai Lama,
Freedom
, p. 136.

  
8
“I roamed all over”: Interview with Tendzin Choegyal.

  
9
“He must have gotten it”: Ibid.

10
“Everyone was anxious”: Ibid.

11
“stitching bags”: Ibid.

12
“I started saying good-bye”: Ibid.

13
“I have no fear”: Dalai Lama,
My Land
, p. 171.

14
“As I went out”: Ibid., p. 198.

15
“the saddest sight”: Barber,
From the Land
, p. 120.

16
“I felt like blacking out”: Interview with Mingyur, by Lobsang Wangyal, Agence France-Presse, March 17, 2004.

17
“You are like ants”: Quoted in Craig, p. 216.

18
“I needed to be very careful”: Quoted in Laird, p. 335.

19
“I was certain”: Dalai Lama,
Freedom
, p. 139.

20
“I don’t know what”: Interview with Tendzin Choegyal.

21
“All of a sudden”: Interview with Tendzin Choegyal.

22
“He was young”: Quoted in “Tibetan Officer Remembers 1959 Escape with Dalai Lama” by Matthias Williams. Reuters, March 12, 2009.