Table of Contents
This documentary follows a German research party that went to Tibet in 1938 and frames the trip as a political search, not as proof of descent from a lost civilization. The narration says Heinrich Himmler, head of a vast SS formation, wanted backing for his belief that an Atlantic society had been real and that traces might remain on the high plateau. Schaefer, an ambitious zoologist and hunter, accepted SS help so he could resume fieldwork, a bargain the film says clashed with careful science. He wanted a survey of land, animals, and customs. His patron wanted body measurements that might be read as a European link, so a racial anthropologist joined a young geologist and an insect specialist. British officials in India resisted, and Tibet stayed closed while its young Dalai was away. After complaints reached Neville Chamberlain, courtesy toward a border prince won the five scientists a brief stay in the capital. They collected specimens, then left as war neared. Himmler welcomed them.
Key points
- The film follows a 1938 German expedition into Tibet and the political bargain behind it.
- Himmler is said to have wanted backing for his belief that an Atlantic civilization had left traces in Asia.
- Schaefer is portrayed as an ambitious field scientist who took SS help in order to return.
- A racial anthropologist was added because body measurements mattered to the sponsor.
- British resistance and a closed border delayed the party until local nobles allowed a short capital stay.
- The narration stresses fieldwork, a wartime departure, and Himmler’s welcome, without offering the trip as proof of descent.
Short quotes
Could this natural fortress have sheltered survivors of Atlantis?
Timeline, Himmler's 1938 Tibet Expedition
The narrator asks whether the high plateau could have hidden remnants of the civilization Himmler was seeking. Watch at 7:52
Schaefer's scientific pride faced an even bigger challenge.
Timeline, Himmler's 1938 Tibet Expedition
The film says Schaefer’s standards as a field researcher were coming under heavier strain. Watch at 11:11
But Schaefer found the realities of mixing politics and science impossible from the start.
Timeline, Himmler's 1938 Tibet Expedition
He is shown deciding early that party demands and careful research could not sit together. Watch at 14:03
Video by Timeline – World History Documentaries. Watch on YouTube.