Culture

The Dalai Lama Was Paid By The CIA, And The Agency’s Employees Have Committed Sex Crimes Against Children

The 14th Dalai Lama caused outrage this weekend for kissing a young boy and urging him to suck his tongue. His unsettling behavior has brought up discussions of his past with the CIA.

By Nicole Dominique2 min read
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Getty/AdamBettcher

The 14th and current Dalai Lama – who is known as Gyalwa Rinpoche in Tibet – made headlines this weekend after a video showed him being inappropriate with a young boy in public. The disturbing footage displayed the Dalai Lama puckering his lips to kiss the boy, even urging him to suck his tongue. The incident occurred in February at the Tsuglagkhang Temple complex, but the resurfaced clip only recently went viral. 

The "spiritual leader" has apologized following the backlash on social media. On Monday, the Dalai Lama said he "wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused." He added that he “regrets” the incident. I find it odd he's only saying sorry after people called him out for his inappropriate behavior. In 2018, the Dalai Lama admitted that he knew about the sexual abuse committed by Buddhist teachers since the 1990s and that the accusations are "nothing new." The comment was made in response to a petition from victims of the alleged assault perpetrated by the Buddhist leaders. If he knew, why didn't he say anything?

Then again, users aren't surprised by the Dalai Lama's behavior at all. The viral clip has even brought up discussions on the Dalai Lama's past and his relationship with the CIA, and the entanglement may sound like a conspiracy theory, but it's actually the truth.

Dalai Lama Was Paid by the CIA

Allow me to give you a summary of the Dalai Lama’s past: In the 1960s, the CIA paid the Tibetan movement $1.7 million a year for propaganda against China, including an annual pay of $180,000 for the 14th Dalai Lama, according to released U.S. intelligence documents. The Tibetans and the spiritual guru were involved in the CIA's effort to undermine Communist governments, specifically the Soviet Union and China, during the Cold War. The documents published by the State Department detail the background of Tibet and the country's tensions with China in the present day. China stated the Dalai Lama was an "agent of foreign forces seeking to separate Tibet from China," as written by the LA Times. 

The Dalai Lama's representatives addressed this report in 1998, claiming that “the subsidy earmarked for the Dalai Lama was spent on setting up offices in Geneva and New York and on international lobbying." Except, the documents say the CIA allocated funds for the Dalai Lama and his group in Dharamshala, India, where he lived – and there were no offices in New York or Geneva at the time. In conclusion, the Dalai Lama seems to be a CIA asset. While they may continue to deny these claims, his brother, Gyalo Thondup (who acted as the liaison for the agency and the Tibetan people), was once described as a "top asset of the CIA."

So, why does all of this matter? 

The CIA and Pedophilia

The CIA was exposed for having committed sex crimes against children just two years ago, and at least 10 of its employees and contractors sexually abused kids. According to reports received through Freedom of Information Acts lawsuits, one worker had sexual contact with a toddler and a 6-year-old. Another purchased pornographic content of young girls that was filmed by their own mothers. A third CIA employee revealed he viewed thousands of sexual child abuse content while on the clock. Unfortunately, the records do not state what actions the CIA took against him, and it's been reported that only one of the employees was charged with a crime. Additionally, dozens of Pentagon employees and contractors accessed child porn websites and downloaded child sexual abuse images, as revealed by an investigative report in 2009.

Four years ago, a former covert CIA intelligence officer went on Reddit's "Ask Me Anything" Subreddit to answer questions about the agency. One user asked, "Does the cia use child prostitutes to control assets?" To which he replied, "I plead the 5th. The things we use to control assets are unsettling enough without going into details.” To many people, these perpetrators and their wrongdoings should be released to the public. But according to former officials, there are many reasons why prosecutors don't pursue criminal cases within the agency. Apparently, the CIA is concerned that, in a criminal case, it faces the possibility of losing "control of sensitive information."

All of this begs the following questions: How many sex crimes have been swept under the rug, all because they were committed by officers or government employees? Lastly, how many of our so-called leaders are actually CIA assets?

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