Despatch from the American Embassy at Kathmandu About Mountain Climbing Expeditions Relating to Yeti
11/30/1959
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In 1959, the U.S. State Department received a curious memo from the new U.S. Embassy in Nepal concerning the regulations for Yeti hunting. The Himalayan Yeti, a mythological creature often compared to Bigfoot, achieved international infamy in the 1950s. Western climbers ascending Mount Everest continued to report Yeti footprints.
The "Yeti Memo" originated with the Nepalese government about two years before the Americans published it in English. It stipulated that the Yeti could only be killed in self-defense and that any evidence of the existence of the creature had to be immediately turned over to the Government of Nepal. The memo also insisted that explorers who sought the Yeti pay a royalty of 5,000 rupees to the Nepalese government. In today’s currency that would be roughly $1,100.
Of course, the existence of this document doesn’t mean that the U.S. Government believed in Yetis. Instead, the memo was a strategic move to demonstrate the U.S. support of Nepal sovereignty and gain an ally in the Cold War. The U.S. chose Nepal as an ally around 1947 because it was uniquely placed as a neutral zone between independent India and Tibet (then occupied by China). The U.S. could monitor the political atmosphere of the area and ensure that neither China nor India aligned with the Soviet Union.
It was important for the U.S. to demonstrate that their diplomatic involvement in the area was entirely non-threatening. The reprint and distribution of the Yeti Memo was the U.S. government’s way of declaring their support for the sovereign rule of Nepal.
The "Yeti Memo" originated with the Nepalese government about two years before the Americans published it in English. It stipulated that the Yeti could only be killed in self-defense and that any evidence of the existence of the creature had to be immediately turned over to the Government of Nepal. The memo also insisted that explorers who sought the Yeti pay a royalty of 5,000 rupees to the Nepalese government. In today’s currency that would be roughly $1,100.
Of course, the existence of this document doesn’t mean that the U.S. Government believed in Yetis. Instead, the memo was a strategic move to demonstrate the U.S. support of Nepal sovereignty and gain an ally in the Cold War. The U.S. chose Nepal as an ally around 1947 because it was uniquely placed as a neutral zone between independent India and Tibet (then occupied by China). The U.S. could monitor the political atmosphere of the area and ensure that neither China nor India aligned with the Soviet Union.
It was important for the U.S. to demonstrate that their diplomatic involvement in the area was entirely non-threatening. The reprint and distribution of the Yeti Memo was the U.S. government’s way of declaring their support for the sovereign rule of Nepal.
This primary source comes from the General Records of the Department of State.
National Archives Identifier: 24194175
Full Citation: Foreign Service Despatch 75 from the American Embassy, Kathmandu Regarding Regulations Governing Mountain Climbing Expeditions in Nepal Relating to Yeti; 11/30/1959; 031/8-2857; Central Decimal Files, 1910 - 1963; General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/despatch-kathmandu-yeti, April 25, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.