Jottings from the Granite Studio

In the chaotic years following the dissolution of the Qing Empire, several regions formerly under Manchu control either declared independence outright or fell into a pattern of de facto independence under local rulers.  A document, a treaty between Mongolia and Τibeτ, purportedly negotiated and signed during this time, has surfaced, causing quite a stir among groups advocating Τibeτan independence.

In an interview for the pro-independence website Phαyul*, Professor Elliot Sperling, a faculty member in the Department of Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University, and director of the university’s Τibeτan Studies program, argues:

The Treaty is exactly what its appellation states it to be. It is a treaty signed and sealed by representatives of Τibeτ and Mongolia in January 1913. The treaty begins with Τibeτ and Mongolia attesting to their having emerged from under Manchu domination and constituted themselves as independent states. It goes on to different short articles which deal, among other things, with the provision of mutual aid and assistance, as well as commercial and financial matters.

As to why the treaty remained out of public view for so long:

The treaty was found in Mongolia. It was likely in the state archives (it bears the seal of the