Into Tibet

Thomas Laird has been based in Kathmandu, Nepal, for thirty years and now divides his time between there and New Orleans. He has worked as a journalist for Time, Asiaweek, and Newsweek. His photography has appeared in two books and more than fifty magazines. His first nonfiction book was Into Tibet: The CIA’s First Atomic Spy and His Secret Expedition to Lhasa.

Praise for Into Tibet“Thomas Laird examines a little-known incident in the Cold War and thereby throws a brilliant light upon the character of America’s intelligence and foreign-policy organizations of the time. . . . A fascinating, groundbreaking work on a controversial subject about which few readers will be familiar. Packed with vital new information and insights, Into Tibet fills a blank space in the hidden history of the Cold War.” —Chris Patsilelis, The Houston Chronicle“Helps illuminate what the agency was doing in the birth of the Cold War. . . . A gripping tale.” —James Rupert, The Washington Post“A scrupulously documented account of Cold War intrigue. . . . [Provides] a detailed view into the CIA’s shadowy world and the havoc it wreaks on individual lives. . . . A grippingly good narrative.” —The Village Voice“An intriguing account of a tragic adventure.” —Kathleen Hipson, The Tampa Tribune“Into Tibet brings alive the remarkable adventure of two America Heinrich Harrers and an event the CIA would still, more than 50 years later, like to keep quiet.” —Bruce Barcott, Outside Magazine“A good insight into the twilight world of espionage as well as a fascinating portrait of a fragile corner of the world at a crucial point in its history.” —Raymond L. Puffer, KLIATT“Into Tibet stands as the definitive account of a shadowy series of events that read like an early spy thriller. . . . Laird’s story is a sordid one, rife with self-interest, cover-ups and moral cowardice at high levels. . . . Laird does an excellent job of explaining not only Mackiernan’s actions, but the Cold War backdrop that made them seem so important at the time and that ultimately led to his death. Laird [has done] an admirable job of tracking each fact as far as it can be followed: He’s talked extensively to the people who are still available and who have information about the events; he’s gone to the archives and studied everything he could get under the Freedom of Information Act.” —Rick Sullivan, Grand Rapids Press“[Laird] is at his best in his descriptions of the seemingly endless crossing of Tibet, a place where he feels so at home. . . . Laird also deftly re-creates the high altitude drama of the fatal meeting between Mackiernan’s expedition team and the Tibetan border guards ordered to shoot unwelcome foreign invaders.” —Whitney Stewart, New Orleans Times-Picayune“Laird has pieced together another unheralded saga of the Cold War. . . . Laird’s account is more than just an expos’ of the early CIA. He provides insights into the CIA’s early effort to maintain an independent Tibet. . . . Laird [also] provides enough action to satisfy most readers interested in the Cold War.” —C. C. Lovett, CHOICE Magazine“Laird has gone to great lengths to penetrate the walls of secrecy the CIA constructed to hide the identity and the activities of Douglas Mackiernan, the first of its agents to be killed on duty.” —Lucian W. Pye, Foreign Affairs“[A] tale of adventure and intrigue. . . . Mackiernan’s perilous escapades are reminiscent of T.E. Lawrence’s famous adventures as an advisor in Arabia during World War I. . . . [Into Tibet] is a starling revelation of a 50-year old secret that reads like a spy novel.” —David Johnson, The Asian Reporter“Part-detective novel, part-travelogue and part-thriller.” —Susan Van Dongen, The South Brunswick Post“[Laird] presents his story as a spy novel, complete with reconstructed dialog, bureaucratic infighting, cinematic pacing, and crackling action.” —Library Journal“Focusing on the heart-stopping details of the expedition itself, Laird gives the now familiar story of callous CIA manipulation an absorbing twist.” —Publishers Weekly“Into Tibet is the grandest, most exotic and intriguing political adventure of the twentieth century. Laird does an exemplary job of investigating, reporting and shaping the events and personalities that compose the tragic story of the loss of Tibetan independence to the Chinese Communists fifty years ago, when covert actions by the newly created CIA jumped out in front of policy, and the dominoes began to fall.” —Bob Shacochis, author of The Immaculate Invasion