ABSTRACT
More than fifteen years ago I observed that for all of Tibet's political associations, "understanding the U.S.–Tibetan relationship is most crucial for understanding the history of Tibet" in the last half of the twentieth century. To be sure, the Tibetan relationship with China was, and remains, the most consequential, but the shadow of the United States looms large over this region and as a consequence it was regrettable, I lamented, that this association was "to be the most elusive to understand." 1 Sadly, nothing has transpired since then to allow me to think otherwise, for although we now have access to more information than we had fifteen years ago, the bulk of the documents we need to understand these historical events remain classified and inaccessible. 2
