I breed both Himalayans and Persians.  The Himalayan breed was first seen in England as the result of accidental matings (known as Mother Nature),  and then deliberately created by breeding a Siamese and a Persian together.*  Therefore, all Himalayan pedigrees have a Siamese back at the very beginning and continue to have Persian bred into their lines going forward.  The Himalayan breed is and always has been a "mixed breed", so to speak.  In past years CFA decided to include the Himalayan as part of the Persian breed.  Today, Himalayans are registered as Himalayan-Persians and registered as the color-point division of the Persian breed.  

There are three categories of  Persians:  pure Persians with no Himalayan ancestors, color-point carrier Persians that look like a pure Persian but carry  the color-point gene, and Himalayans which always carry both color-point and  Persian genetics. There is no such cat as a "pure" Himalayan, just by the very nature of its creation.  Both Himalayans and Persians have long held top  spots in popularity due to their beauty and wonderful dispositions.  For more information on both Himalayans and Persians, visit www.cfa.org.  You will find Himalayans  listed under the Persian category.

*see the book by S. M. Manton