Secret mission to Tibet
In the 19th century, Russia began to pursue an active foreign policy in the Far East. This displeased the British Empire. Soon a dull diplomatic war arose, the purpose of which was to influence this strategically important region for the two states, in which Russian and British intelligence took the most active part.
Reception at His Imperial Majesty
The Russian government was interested in the Xinjiang region, which was adjacent to the borders of the territories of the Russian state in Central Asia. This territory bordered on Tibet, and was, as it were, its threshold and could be a theater of military operations. It was important for the Russian General Staff to know all the routes in this area and the likelihood of their use for the transfer of British troops to the borders of Russian possessions.
Emperor Alexander II, nicknamed the Liberator, specifically gave the order to build a railway in Asia as soon as possible, with branches diverted from it to the mountains in order to make it more convenient to deliver manpower and ammunition to areas of possible hostilities. Such a diplomatic confrontation with Britain for influence in Asia could quickly develop into an open fierce armed conflict.
Over the course of several years, under the auspices of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society, Russia sent four expeditions to these regions of Central Asia under the command of an experienced officer and famous traveler Nikolai Przhevalsky, who later received a general's rank and held high government posts. Expeditions under the command of an officer of the General Staff P. K. Kozlov and under the guidance of the famous traveler V. I. The influence of Russians in Asia grew steadily and steadily.
In St. Petersburg in 1902, at the highest level, it was decided to send a special secret reconnaissance mission to Tibet - the Russian military intelligence intended to penetrate the mysterious and forbidden region of Tibet with the help of Kalmyks who professed Buddhism who served in the Great Don Army. The reconnaissance group was commanded by Podesaul Ulanov, who was fluent in the Tibetan dialect. Together with him, it was supposed to send a full-time gelun - a military Buddhist priest - from the village of Potapovskaya, also a Kalmyk by nationality Dumbo Ulyanov and an interpreter, a Cossack sergeant of the same village, a Kalmyk Lidzhi Sharapov. Podesaul Ulanov was quietly transferred to St. Petersburg, where he was enrolled as a volunteer at the Academy of the General Staff, in which he was very successful in mastering special disciplines.which are necessary for conducting a secret reconnaissance mission. Preparations lasted almost 2 years, but the events had to be accelerated due to the aggressive policy of England: taking advantage of the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, the British sent troops into Tibet and occupied Lhasa. The Dalai Lama fled to Mongolia.
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Russia had to force the British to immediately withdraw their troops, to prevent the establishment of British control over Tibet and to achieve its relative independence under the supreme rule of China. But events did not unfold in the most favorable way for Russia: the British managed to sign an agreement with Tibetan officials, according to which China completely lost all its positions in Tibet.
To maintain complete secrecy, in January 1904, the Minister of War, Adjutant General Kuropatkin, sent a special note to Emperor Nicholas II, in which he proposed to dismiss the captain Ulanov in reserve for a period of one year, and subsequently to completely restore him in the ranks of the Russian officer corps with a credit of service years spent on a secret reconnaissance expedition. The emperor agreed and allowed to release from the treasury almost fourteen thousand rubles (a very large sum for those times!), The necessary weapons and gifts for the successful implementation of the planned enterprise. Moreover, the emperor wished to personally meet with Podesaul Ulanov and Geliun Ulyanov. The audience took place on January 14, 1904, at three o'clock in the afternoon, in the Winter Palace. It was held secretly and in violation of all the rules of court etiquette:the officers invited to the palace were allowed to arrive not in formal military uniform, but in civilian dress. In addition, special measures were taken so that information about this meeting would not be leaked to the press.
“There is a real threat of a military conflict with England over the Tibetan issue,” Nicholas II told the intelligence officers. - Remember, gentlemen: your secret mission is aimed at protecting the national interests of Russia!
Tragedy on the way
A secret reconnaissance expedition left St. Petersburg in January 1904 and reached Central Asia by the spring. To ensure conspiracy, Kalmyks pretended to be residents of the multi-tribal province of Xinjiang. The difficulty was in getting the relevant documents: British intelligence was not asleep! Finally, they managed to get them with the help of the employees of the Russian representative office in the city of Gulja. There, the expedition included four local residents, experienced caravan guides.
Disguised as Buddhist pilgrim monks, the scouts began to move deeper into Chinese territory. Everything was going fine, but soon the unexpected happened - unexpectedly, podesaul Ulanov and the sergeant Sharapov fell seriously ill. The disease turned out to be completely unfamiliar to both the members of the reconnaissance group and local residents. The invited experienced doctors, only helplessly shrugged their shoulders. A few days later podyesaul Ulanov died. His death remained an unsolved mystery: it is possible that he became a victim of British agents and was poisoned. But Sharapov, albeit slowly, managed to defeat the disease. On reflection, Geliun Dumbo Ulyanov immediately galloped to Kuldja. The reconnaissance group was left without a leader, and his tragic death threatened the success of the entire secret enterprise.
“You will have to take over the leadership of the secret mission,” Ulyanov was told in Gulja. - We asked for St. Petersburg. His Imperial Majesty, the Minister of War and the General Staff wish you success in your noble and dangerous cause. The Tsar especially asked to be reminded: it concerns the national interests of Russia!
So Dumbo Ulyanov unexpectedly became the head of a secret intelligence mission in Tibet. He led his small caravan to the Chemensky mountains and spent the winter there with the Tsaidam Kalmyks, with whom he easily found a common language. In March 1905, the expedition moved through the passes. The warlike tribes that met on the border of Tibet, thanks to Ulyanov's knowledge, artistic talent and successful disguise, considered him a gegen - a Buddhist cleric of high rank - and received him with due respect. This gave the scout some hope.
Lhasa
By the end of May, a secret Russian military intelligence mission arrived in the capital of Tibet - Lhasa, a mystery to Europeans. Dumbo Ulyanov, who successfully continued to play the role of gegen, found a warm welcome there and even began to enjoy a certain popularity. Gelun reasoned that he didn’t need such excessive attention, and began to diligently and daily worship the local saints. This only added to his "righteousness" in the eyes of the mystically minded Tibetans. However, Dumbo understood perfectly well: there are enough British secret agents in Lhasa, closely watching his every step.
Then Gelun made a brilliant move that allowed him to completely get rid of the close observation of British agents from among the Nepalese, who did not take their eyes off the "pilgrims". Ulyanov, even before the trip to Lhasa, wrote in Tibetan a scholarly treatise on one of the controversial issues of Buddhism. Now he took it out of his travel bag and offered it to the local high clergy for discussion. This had an impressive effect and immediately put the Russian intelligence officer in the ranks of the first-class connoisseurs of the Buddha's teachings. The British agents, convinced that a truly religious fanatic had arrived in Tibet, lost interest in Gelun.
Carefully collecting information in confidential conversations with pilgrims, caravan men, local residents and Buddhist priests, Gelun received first-hand information about the true state of affairs in the country. Soon he got an appointment with Goddan Giva-Rambuche, who ruled Tibet in the absence of the Dalai Lama. From him, the Russian intelligence officer learned that thanks to the diplomatic efforts of Russia, the British had to withdraw their troops from Tibet, but the only thing that held the British back was the fear of a large-scale armed conflict with Russia.
Everything went well, but a new, mysterious incident happened: at night the sergeant Sharapov fell out of the window of the third floor of the building where the secret Russian mission was located. Ligi himself could not explain why this happened. Most likely, this was due to the intrigues of the British intelligence and its agents operating in Lhasa. The police officer crashed against the stones so that there was no hope of his recovery. Ulyanov has already decided that soon he will be left completely alone and the next turn to go to heaven will be his: the British will take all measures not to let anyone out of the "forbidden country". However, the local doctor has authoritatively assured that he will definitely cure Sharapov and in two months he will be able to sit in the saddle himself. And so it happened. How and how the police officer was treated remained a mystery. Ulyanov made a series of persistent attempts to penetrate the secrets of Tibetan medicine,but unsuccessfully.
Return
In mid-August 1905, the Russian reconnaissance group left Lhasa. Remembering the two tragedies, Ulyanov and Sharapov were constantly on their guard, but nothing happened. On March 17, 1906, a Russian secret mission arrived in the capital of the Russian Empire. Gelyun immediately sat down to his notes, which he wrote in Kalmyk for the purpose of conspiracy and secrecy. Based on his travel notes, he prepared extensive reports on the work of the secret mission for the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The information collected and systematized by the military Buddhist priest aroused great interest and was highly appreciated by the Russian government.
As a result, negotiations began with the Dalai Lama to return him to Lhasa, but he made it an indispensable condition for his protection by the Russian Cossacks from the British. In the end, it was possible to agree that a unit of Buryat Cossacks would be sent to the borders of Tibet, on the territory of Mongolia, dressed not in Russian military uniforms, but in national dress for conspiracy. In addition, it was intended to send two long-term large Russian "scientific expeditions" to Tibet under the command of Captain Kozlov and Captain Kozakov. Subsequently, these plans had to be abandoned so as not to create unnecessary tension in this region, although Kozlov and Kozakov, in addition to military experience, had great scientific authority. But Cossacks from the Buryats still arrived in Mongolia.
Russia held successful negotiations with China and Great Britain, in which the information obtained by the secret intelligence mission provided great assistance. In 1907, an Anglo-Russian agreement was concluded: the British recognized Tibet as part of China and pledged to maintain relations with it only through the Chinese government. The Dalai Lama first lived in the Gumbut monastery, near the Tibetan border, and then returned to Lhasa.
For many decades, Russian military intelligence carefully kept the secrets of the secret mission in Tibet. Presumably, not all of them have been disclosed in our time, since it is not known what confidential instructions Emperor Nicholas II gave to scouts leaving for Tibet, secretly receiving them in the Winter Palace.
From the book: "100 Great Secrets of Russia of the XX century." Author: Vasily Vedeneev