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Modern War Studies
Spies in the Himalayas: Secret Missions and Perilous Climbs
Legendary Indian climber M. S. Kohli and historian Kenneth Conboy chronicle for the first time the clandestine operations, dangers, and mishaps that formed a joint U.S.-Indian effort to plant a nuclear-powered sensor high in the Himalayas to monitor China's growing nuclear capabilities.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2003
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285 people want to read
About the author
M.S. Kohli
14 books8 followersCaptain M. S. Kohli who wrote his name on the sands of time, is best known as leader of the epoch-making and record-breaking Indian Everest Expedition 1965 which catapulted India to become the 4th country in the world to climb Everest and electrified the nation (India).
Captain Manmohan Singh Kohli (b. 11 December 1931 at Haripur) is an internationally renowned Indian mountaineer. An officer in the Indian Navy who joined the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, he led the 1965 Indian expedition which put nine men on the summit of Everest, a world record which lasted for 17 years
Mohan Kohli was President of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation from 1989 to 1993. In 1989, he co-founded the Himalayan Environment Trust.
Internationally renowned mountaineer, Captain M.S. Kohli, belongs to the exclusive band of three climbers in the world who in 1962 spend three nights at 27,650 feet on Everest, two without oxygen. He led the first successful Indian expedition to Mount Everest in 1965 which put nine climbers on the submit. It was a world record which India held for 17 years. He climbed Nanda Kot (22,510 feet) in1959 and made the maiden ascent of highly challenging Annapurna –III (24,858 feet) in 1961 after high-altitude bandits had looted the Base Camp, taking two team members as hostages. From 1965 to 1968, he led the world’s longest and highly sensitive indo-American expedition to Nanda Devi and Nanda Kot.
He was the first man in the world to conceive and promote trekking in the Himalayas on global basis, from 1971 to 1989, visiting over 50 countries, some several times. He was closely associated with the Indian Mountaineering Foundation for 14 years, 10 years as Vice-President and 4 years as President. He developed the Indo-Tibetan Border Police into a formidable mountaineering organization with a tally of over 100 Himalayan summits. In 1977, he joined Sir Edmund Hillary in ‘From the Ocean to the Sky’, jet-boat expedition from Bay of Bengal to the source of Ganges, with heralded white-water rafting in India.
On 14 October, 1989, in consultation with Sir Edmund Hillary, he founded the Himalayan Environment Trust to save the Himalayas for future generations. The HET International Board of Trustees, with Captain Kohli as Chairman, includes Reinhold Messner, Junko Tabei, Maurice Herzog and Sir Chris Bonington, Padma Bhushan and Arjuna Awardee, Captain Kohli was born on 11 December, 1931 at Haripur in the hilly Hazara district of North-West Frontier. He has authored 20 books. On 8 September, 1965, he was given the rare honour of addressing members of both the Houses of Indian Parliament.
This unique book describes thrilling accounts of the author’s several Himalayan Climbs, amazing incidents, unbelievable happenings in life, divine experiences gaining strength and confidence, and miraculous survivals through the unshakeable faith in the divine power of Ardass. The book takes the reader to the dizzy heights of the majestic Himalayas where one feels closer to the God and Nature.
Sujan Singh Kohli, father of the Author, is the inspiration behind this unique publication. His ancestor, Kirpa Singh, was baptized personally by Guru Govind Singh on the Baisakhi Day of 1699 at Anandpur Sahib. Three hundred years later, on the Baisakhi Day of 1999, Captain M.S. Kohli was honoured at Anandpur Sahib by the Chief Minister of Punjab with the award of ‘Nishan-e-Khalsa’. Sujan Singh inherited the faith in ardaas from his ancestors and faith-fully passed this on to his sons.
Captain Manmohan Singh Kohli (b. 11 December 1931 at Haripur) is an internationally renowned Indian mountaineer. An officer in the Indian Navy who joined the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, he led the 1965 Indian expedition which put nine men on the summit of Everest, a world record which lasted for 17 years
Mohan Kohli was President of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation from 1989 to 1993. In 1989, he co-founded the Himalayan Environment Trust.
Internationally renowned mountaineer, Captain M.S. Kohli, belongs to the exclusive band of three climbers in the world who in 1962 spend three nights at 27,650 feet on Everest, two without oxygen. He led the first successful Indian expedition to Mount Everest in 1965 which put nine climbers on the submit. It was a world record which India held for 17 years. He climbed Nanda Kot (22,510 feet) in1959 and made the maiden ascent of highly challenging Annapurna –III (24,858 feet) in 1961 after high-altitude bandits had looted the Base Camp, taking two team members as hostages. From 1965 to 1968, he led the world’s longest and highly sensitive indo-American expedition to Nanda Devi and Nanda Kot.
He was the first man in the world to conceive and promote trekking in the Himalayas on global basis, from 1971 to 1989, visiting over 50 countries, some several times. He was closely associated with the Indian Mountaineering Foundation for 14 years, 10 years as Vice-President and 4 years as President. He developed the Indo-Tibetan Border Police into a formidable mountaineering organization with a tally of over 100 Himalayan summits. In 1977, he joined Sir Edmund Hillary in ‘From the Ocean to the Sky’, jet-boat expedition from Bay of Bengal to the source of Ganges, with heralded white-water rafting in India.
On 14 October, 1989, in consultation with Sir Edmund Hillary, he founded the Himalayan Environment Trust to save the Himalayas for future generations. The HET International Board of Trustees, with Captain Kohli as Chairman, includes Reinhold Messner, Junko Tabei, Maurice Herzog and Sir Chris Bonington, Padma Bhushan and Arjuna Awardee, Captain Kohli was born on 11 December, 1931 at Haripur in the hilly Hazara district of North-West Frontier. He has authored 20 books. On 8 September, 1965, he was given the rare honour of addressing members of both the Houses of Indian Parliament.
This unique book describes thrilling accounts of the author’s several Himalayan Climbs, amazing incidents, unbelievable happenings in life, divine experiences gaining strength and confidence, and miraculous survivals through the unshakeable faith in the divine power of Ardass. The book takes the reader to the dizzy heights of the majestic Himalayas where one feels closer to the God and Nature.
Sujan Singh Kohli, father of the Author, is the inspiration behind this unique publication. His ancestor, Kirpa Singh, was baptized personally by Guru Govind Singh on the Baisakhi Day of 1699 at Anandpur Sahib. Three hundred years later, on the Baisakhi Day of 1999, Captain M.S. Kohli was honoured at Anandpur Sahib by the Chief Minister of Punjab with the award of ‘Nishan-e-Khalsa’. Sujan Singh inherited the faith in ardaas from his ancestors and faith-fully passed this on to his sons.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 19, 2021
What a brilliant book !!!! The plot and the contents of the book has probably been beaten to death. What i would end up saying is that if you have not read it, you are missing something. Combining the thrills of mountaineering and a bit of spy elements, the book captures the essence and mysteries of the Himalayan range. It also touches upon some bureaucracy in India and the US during the 60s and 70s and how the team still managed to succeed
June 19, 2023
I read another very interesting book titled Spies in the Himalayas.
This is a detailed account that unravels the mystery behind the lost nuclear device in the Nanda Devi sanctuary. Ice been fascinated by the Himalayas since I started trekking there and among the various books that i read was Bil Tilman's The Ascent of Nanda Devi that details the first 1936 expedition to the summit of the Blessed Goddess. The access to this mountain itself is a challenge and one has to cross a ring of high mountains to enter the sanctuary first the most convenient entry point being through the Rishiganga gorge. Besides, this mountain region has been shrouded in mystery due to the nuclear device.
The author gives a deep understanding of the circumstances leading to the secret joint mission between CIA and IB. The post 1962 war geopolitical situation brought together the two countries with a common goal to keep an eye on the nuclear program of China. China had been conducting nuclear experiments in Xinjiang province and the joint mission was to install a nuclear powered transmitter ofr interception of missile telemetry signals on top of a high mountain in India. Nanda devi was chosen as it was second highest but completely within Indian borders unlike Kanchenjunga.
Then comes the detailed account of the team selection - the exceptional climbers like MS Kohli, Bhangu, Rawat, Wangyal, Wangyal II, Sonam Gyatso, etc. It was a race against time and against the forces of nature. The joint team of Indian and American climbers overcame numerous logistical issues and somehow reached till camp 4 at the end of the 1965 climbing season. But the weather turned nasty and they had to tie the equipment- a generator powered by plutonium, two transmitters and an antenna securely to a rockface and returned to base camp for their dear life. During the wait till spring, there were further negotiations from Indian side and VIA finally agreed that Nanda devi was a tough mountain and agreed for Nanda Kot, a nearby mountain which was outside the ring of the sanctuary and had been sumitted previously. Come spring, a team went up the Nanda Devi to retrieve the payload and discovered that it had disappeared, likely down the mountian due to an avalanche. A desperate search began, initially haphazard and later planned, combing the sanctuary along the possible and probably line of fall. However, it is likely that the generator fell into the glacier and due to its heat generated by the plutonium, it melted it's way down to the bottom and was lying in an icy grave at the rock bottom. However, it wouldn't be under pressure of the overlying ice as the plutonium heat melts the surrounding ice and the repeated melting causes formation of a sort of ice cave- described as an icy cathedral. Anyway, due to the urgent need of monitoring device, another genrator was shipped by CIA and installed on the Nanda Kot in yet another challenging climb. One of the American climbers inscribed AMF (adios, motherfucker) on the generator. That was funny, haha! It stopped functioning in 3 months due to ice accumulation and there was another expedition to dig the apparatus out of its icy grave. Finally,other monitoring devices were installed on mountains closer to border at Len and NEFA region which were solar powered and when Rhyolite satellites came along, these devices became obsolete. The environmental concerns cause an upheavel in the media when the secret was leaked after a few years. Those were the times of political turmoil in India and the government has to give a detailed report. The device was considered to be lost and not of much environmental concern as it was likely buried deep under and would decay by itself. There was no evidence of any disintegration of the device as checked repeated by neutron detectors, alpha detectors and aerial and ground surveys. Yet, monitoring of the area was continued.
This is a detailed account that unravels the mystery behind the lost nuclear device in the Nanda Devi sanctuary. Ice been fascinated by the Himalayas since I started trekking there and among the various books that i read was Bil Tilman's The Ascent of Nanda Devi that details the first 1936 expedition to the summit of the Blessed Goddess. The access to this mountain itself is a challenge and one has to cross a ring of high mountains to enter the sanctuary first the most convenient entry point being through the Rishiganga gorge. Besides, this mountain region has been shrouded in mystery due to the nuclear device.
The author gives a deep understanding of the circumstances leading to the secret joint mission between CIA and IB. The post 1962 war geopolitical situation brought together the two countries with a common goal to keep an eye on the nuclear program of China. China had been conducting nuclear experiments in Xinjiang province and the joint mission was to install a nuclear powered transmitter ofr interception of missile telemetry signals on top of a high mountain in India. Nanda devi was chosen as it was second highest but completely within Indian borders unlike Kanchenjunga.
Then comes the detailed account of the team selection - the exceptional climbers like MS Kohli, Bhangu, Rawat, Wangyal, Wangyal II, Sonam Gyatso, etc. It was a race against time and against the forces of nature. The joint team of Indian and American climbers overcame numerous logistical issues and somehow reached till camp 4 at the end of the 1965 climbing season. But the weather turned nasty and they had to tie the equipment- a generator powered by plutonium, two transmitters and an antenna securely to a rockface and returned to base camp for their dear life. During the wait till spring, there were further negotiations from Indian side and VIA finally agreed that Nanda devi was a tough mountain and agreed for Nanda Kot, a nearby mountain which was outside the ring of the sanctuary and had been sumitted previously. Come spring, a team went up the Nanda Devi to retrieve the payload and discovered that it had disappeared, likely down the mountian due to an avalanche. A desperate search began, initially haphazard and later planned, combing the sanctuary along the possible and probably line of fall. However, it is likely that the generator fell into the glacier and due to its heat generated by the plutonium, it melted it's way down to the bottom and was lying in an icy grave at the rock bottom. However, it wouldn't be under pressure of the overlying ice as the plutonium heat melts the surrounding ice and the repeated melting causes formation of a sort of ice cave- described as an icy cathedral. Anyway, due to the urgent need of monitoring device, another genrator was shipped by CIA and installed on the Nanda Kot in yet another challenging climb. One of the American climbers inscribed AMF (adios, motherfucker) on the generator. That was funny, haha! It stopped functioning in 3 months due to ice accumulation and there was another expedition to dig the apparatus out of its icy grave. Finally,other monitoring devices were installed on mountains closer to border at Len and NEFA region which were solar powered and when Rhyolite satellites came along, these devices became obsolete. The environmental concerns cause an upheavel in the media when the secret was leaked after a few years. Those were the times of political turmoil in India and the government has to give a detailed report. The device was considered to be lost and not of much environmental concern as it was likely buried deep under and would decay by itself. There was no evidence of any disintegration of the device as checked repeated by neutron detectors, alpha detectors and aerial and ground surveys. Yet, monitoring of the area was continued.
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June 6, 2021This book is a detailed note on one of the controversial and covert mountain expeditions. The illustrations will help you imagine the deathly conditions mountaineers would have gone through. I enjoy reciprocating to 'mountains are calling', but such books keep me grounded and remind me of the ferocity and uncertainty of a terrain which could spin a havoc in a shocking blink of an eye.
December 29, 2024
This was a super boring book, only stuck with it because it is short and went by fast. Got slightly more interesting at the end when they discussed the political fall out and rumor-mongering that went on as info leaked about placing radiation powered sensors in the high mountains and then losing them.
September 25, 2017
A gripping tale of how a nuclear activity detection device was lost by the joint Indo-US intelligence operation on the perilous slopes of Nanda Devi in 1965/66. The writing, although unexceptional, does its job of keeping the reader interested.
July 29, 2023
Daring stories of collaboration and cooperation between Indian IB & American CIA to monitor Chinese nuclear programme in 60s from Himalayas. Beyond the expeditions India should have taken the cooperation further ahead for her own benefits. Seems a missed opportunity. Overall a good read.
Want to read
August 28, 2012Recommended by HMW
January 2, 2016
Nice insight to 1960s covert operations in the Himalayas to spy on the Chinese but oftentimes was too detailed in mountaineering procedures and lingo as well as bureaucratic difficulties.
September 21, 2019
Cold War History
Fascinating piece on cold war history. Insights on Indian sub-continent culture. Some nuclear warfare history on the race to create nuclear weapons.
Fascinating piece on cold war history. Insights on Indian sub-continent culture. Some nuclear warfare history on the race to create nuclear weapons.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews