This is a fascinating account of a mission from the President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, to Tibet and H H the Dalai Lama, who was 10 years old at the time.
The mission was a goodwill gift-exchange that was led by Major Ilia Tolstoy and Captian Brooke Dolan, who took the color footage of a Tibet that was to all intents and purposes closed to the outside world.
The film was made by the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor of the CIA, and is surprisingly respectful and understanding of what must have seemed like a very foreign religion and tradition at the time.
There is some wonderful footage of the people, customs and monasteries in the country, which was taken before the Chinese invasion, while they were still living in a feudal society, maintaining centuries old traditions and power structures.
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to see a set of stills click on the screenshot below
