Treasures of Asia: Roger McCarthy Collection for Auction

Roger McCarthy with his Holiness, the Dalai Lama at the Dalai Lama’s personal residence in Dharamsala, India during a filmed interview. (1999)

Roger McCarthy served 30 years in the CIA (1952-1982). During his tenure, he held several positions including Case Officer, Regional Officer in Charge, Deputy Chief of Station, and Chief of Station. He served in numerous countries: Japan, Thailand, India, Nepal, Vietnam, Peru, Burma, and Laos.  He was one of the early and few paramilitary trainers that trained many foreigners for a variety of operations.  These operations took place in Indonesia, Korea, Tibet, Vietnam and Laos.

Roger McCarthy receiving a medal from General Lam in Vietnam (early 1970s)

Most notably, Mr. McCarthy headed a top-secret CIA Tibetan Program called “ST CIRCUS”, in which the group trained Tibetan Freedom Fighters in paramilitary and intelligence gathering techniques in preparation for parachuting them back into Tibet in order to conduct operations against the Chinese communist forces.

In 1959, Tibetan trainees were primarily responsible for the dramatic escape of the Dalai Lama out of Tibet and into India in order to prevent the Chinese from kidnapping him. These trainees became the Dalai Lama’s personal escort to freedom.

Roger McCarthy training Tibetans at a top-secret training base in Camp Hale, Colorado.

Roger McCarthy with Tibetan trainees and their children. (1999) in Maju Katila, a Tibetan refugee camp outside of New Delhi, India.

People later claimed that the CIA was responsible for the Dalai Lama’s escape, but McCarthy insisted that was not the case. He clarified this in his history Tears of the Lotus. According to McCarthy, in 1959, the situation in Lhasa (Tibet’s capital and the home of the Dalai Lama), was dire. It was surrounded by 40,000 PLA Chinese troops. They made every indication that they were preparing to kidnap the Dalai Lama. It was the Tibetans, previously trained by the CIA, who took it upon themselves to sneak the Dalai Lama out of Lhasa under the cover of darkness and devise an escape route to India. During the journey, the Tibetan radio team contacted the CIA. The CIA asked if Indian border officials had been advised ahead of time. They had not. It was only then that the CIA assisted in a crucial way. They were able to get the Indian government to approve asylum for the Dalai Lama, prior to his arrival. This was crucial since, by that time, the PLA was in hot pursuit and was only one day behind His Holiness. Any bureaucratic holdup at the border would have allowed the Chinese enough time to catch up with the Dalai Lama, kidnap him and kill him. 

Roger McCarthy with Tibetan trainee, Athar Norbu (early-mid 2000)

Roger McCarthy with Tibetan trainee, Athar Norbu (early – mid 2000)