Introduction, translated and commented by S. L. KUZMIN The treaty between Mongolia and Tibet of December 29, 1912/11 January 1913, concluded in the capital of Mongolia, has long been known to historians. However, it was considered imaginary, and its legal force was not clearly established [for example, Bell, 1924, p. 150, 151, 258, 304]. Later it was known only from an English translation from the archives of the British Foreign Office [FO 535/16, No. 88, lnclosure 1, 1913, published: Van Walt, 1987, p. 320-321]. The Mongolian text was published by the Academy of Sciences of the MNR in 1982 [Barkmann, 1999, p. 380]]. A Tibetan translation was made from it by V. D. Shakabpa (Phurbu, 2008). Publications of the Tibetan and Mongolian originals have appeared only recently (Batsaikhan, 2008, pp. 334-336). So, the original contract exists. But there is a question about their authenticity, as well as about the international legal status of this document, especially since, according to some authors, Mongolia itself was not an independent state in 1913 and could not sign a treaty recognizing the independence of other states (for example, [Klipov, 2008: 41-46; Wang Jiwei, Nyima Gyaincain, 1997]). An analysis of Mongolia's status shows that by 1913 it had gained not only de facto but also formal independence. The main arguments in favor of this approach are as follows (see Batsaikhan and Kuzmin, 2008; pp. 68-86; Kuzmin, 2010). The Xinhai revolution, which was conducted under the slogans of freeing the Han people from Manchu domination, destroyed the Qing Empire. The peoples included in it received the right to self-determination, just as it happened during the revolutions in other empires (Austrian, Ottoman, etc.). In particular, the Han Chinese (Republic of China) and Mongols (Outer Mongolia) formed their own national states. Tibet was not a part of the Qing Empire, but a state dependent on it. Keywords: Mongolia, Tibet, Russia, China, Mongol-Tibetan Treaty of 1913. Having dec ... Read more