KHUTUGHTU and LATTIMORE: LEGACY BEYOND BORDERS

Khutughtu and Lattimore: Legacy Beyond Borders is a multidisciplinary cultural and academic initiative led by the American Center for Mongolian Studies (ACMS) and the Diluv Hutughtu Foundation (DHF). This project explores the historic friendship between Diluv Khutughtu Jamsrangjab, a prominent Mongolian Buddhist leader and statesman, and Owen Lattimore, a pioneering American scholar of Mongolia and Inner Asia who is considered one of the fathers of modern Mongolian Studies.

Through exhibitions, scholarly collaboration, community engagement, and archival preservation, this initiative brings renewed attention to the pair's shared vision, spiritual diplomacy, and early people-to-people connections that helped shape Mongolia’s engagement with the United States during the twentieth century.

By digitizing and translating rare archival materials, fostering academic dialogue, and engaging diverse audiences through public programs and outreach, the project seeks to preserve shared heritage while strengthening cultural understanding between Mongolia and the United States. At its core, the initiative promotes intergenerational learning and highlights the enduring relevance of this historical friendship in building contemporary international collaboration.

In revisiting the intellectual and spiritual friendship between Diluv Khutughtu and Owen Lattimore, it is our hope that this project will preserve shared heritage and celebrate the enduring partnership between Mongolia and the United States. We seek to demonstrate how historical relationships continue to inspire contemporary academic cooperation, cultural exchange, and meaningful people-to-people connections, while hearing the stories of present-day experts, scholars, diplomats, and family members upon whom this friendship has left a lasting impact.