Cold Open The CIA's intelligence summary, dated December 14, 1979, details the

Cold Open The CIA's intelligence summary, dated December 14, 1979, details the establishment of the Beijing Institute for International Strategic Studies, a secret research institution in China. This document, declassified in 1999, provides insight into the Institute's mission and goals. The text is available through The Black Vault and the Internet Archive. Provenance The document was released through The Black Vault's online archive, with a corresponding PDF available through the Internet Archive. The document was classified by multiple sources and reviewed on August 22, 1999. The Document The Beijing Institute for International Studies was established in December 1979 to conduct academic research on problems of international strategy. Composed of notable and retired military officers and civilian scholars, the Institute will be principally concerned with questions relating to national security and world peace. It will also seek to establish friendly relations with all foreign institutions through visits and exchange programs for its staff members. Apparently, the primary mission of the Institute is to gain insights into the USSR's military strategy and related Soviet armed forces developments. This mission will conform with Beijing's view that the USSR is the main threat to world peace and to China's national security. Discussions with Western visitors, members of the Institute focused their attention on changes that could be expected in Soviet military strategy as a result of leadership changes in the nation and on fluctuations in the US-Soviet military balance. The current chairman is Wu Guan, a deputy chief of the People's Liberation Army General Staff. Several considerations most likely contributed to Wu Guan's appointment as Chairman of the Institute. Among these are his expertise in both military and civilian affairs, his responsibilities as the probable senior military intelligence officer, and his prominent position as head of China's "Armymen's Association." This Association is a division under the General Staff Department with an apparent principal function of intelligence gathering. Special emphasis has been placed on Soviet plans and activities in Asia. The Institute will, in all probability, also collect intelligence, with special attention formed on Soviet matters. Context The Editor's Summary from The Black Vault notes that the Institute's establishment and mission reflect China's concerns about the Soviet Union's military strategy and its impact on regional security. Outro This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. The CIA's declassified intelligence summary provides a glimpse into the early days of the Beijing Institute for International Strategic Studies. Visit storyflo.com for more declassified records. The full document is available at https://archive.org/download/us-china-intel-CI02169/CI02169_djvu.txt.