What did the declassified documents reveal?

Cold open. This is a declassified Soviet technical memorandum titled “Identification MLAD,” reference number three slash N B F slash T two thousand ninety, dated August sixteenth, nineteen seventy‑nine. It was issued by the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Trade and sent to the United States intelligence community, and it appears in the public archive of The Black Vault. Provenance. The document was released to the public through The Black Vault archive, catalogued under the URL https://archive.org/download/31maridentificationmlad/31maridentificationmladdjvu.txt. The entry does not list a specific Freedom of Information Act case number, but the material is marked as declassified by the originating Soviet authority and made available for public download on the archive’s website. The document. The memorandum opens with the heading “USSR Ref. No: three slash N B F slash T two thousand ninety, Issued: A two six five slash one six slash zero eight slash nineteen seventy‑nine, Copy No: REISSUE.” It is addressed from Moscow to “NEW YOfUC” and signed with the code “298 thirty‑one H4rch l9 A£ ANION (1).” The body reads: “We are sending herewith an evaluation on ENORHOI (11). Referenced are materials from “ChARlT (ill) about the FUNICULAR (iv): a) five slash four six (v) – thirty‑one groups unrecovered, gaskets (SAL’ NIKI); b) five slash six zero – sixteen groups unrecovered – contains an interesting whole of calculation, which will be used during the design; c) five slash six two – technical data on the FUNICULAR and one hundred twelve groups unrecovered; d) seven slash thirteen, paragraph one – about the degree of separation of the membrane (vi) – offers substantial interest; e) seven slash eighty‑four, paragraph one – about tests of the membrane and information about the layout of the plant – is of interest. What is needed is seven groups unrecovered – plan of the plant. f) seven slash eighty‑three and eighty‑four – on the theory of the stability of the FUNICULAR – together with “QUILT” materials on this question received earlier they form a full and valuable piece of information. “Two) MLAO’s (vii) report about work (four groups unrecovered). One group unrecovered – great interest. VIKTOR (viii) Distribution (continued) Copies 1‑2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. I NSA (A two six five) FBI CIA Security Service (CIA) ASIO (via NSA) Security Service/Representatives – WASHINGTON twenty ? three. YIN SB one seven seven seven W.Unc three slash N three F slash T two C ninety YENONA three slash N B F slash T two thousand ninety. Footnotes: One – AKTOS: Leonid Ronanovich KVASNIKOV; two – ESORMDZ: The Manhattan Project (Development of the Atomic Bomb); three – CHARKLIS: Dr. Klaus Emil FUCHS; four – FUNICULAR: Tint occurrence, probably the gaseous diffusion plant K twenty‑five at Clinton, Tennessee; five – dispatch reference: the first element is probably the month or postal dispatch number and the second a running serial from the beginning of the year; six – membrane: also…

Why was this case declassified?

This material was released by the National Security Agency (NSA) through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. The originating source document is linked on this page so the citation chain is auditable.

31mar Identification Mlad

◆ BLUF — The short version

Cold open. This is a declassified Soviet technical memorandum titled “Identification MLAD,” reference number three slash N B F slash T two thousand ninety, dated August sixteenth, nineteen seventy‑nine. It was issued by the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Trade and sent to the United States intelligence community, and it appears in the public archive of The Black Vault.

Agency: National Security Agency (NSA)
Date: JUL 18 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

↯ Dispatch — press play3:21

0:003:21

↯ Share

X in r/

Episode notes

View the primary source document

Questions about this case

What was 31mar Identification Mlad about?: Cold open. This is a declassified Soviet technical memorandum titled “Identification MLAD,” reference number three slash N B F slash T two thousand ninety, dated August sixteenth, nineteen seventy‑nine. It was issued by the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Trade and sent to the United States intelligence community, and it appears in the public archive of The Black Vault.
Why was this case declassified?: This material was released by the National Security Agency (NSA) through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. The originating source document is linked in the case notes above so the citation chain is fully auditable.

intelligence-vault

Related cases

NSA

More from NSA

✉ Dispatches

A short dispatch when a new file is released — narrated, answer-first, and linked straight to the primary source. No spam; unsubscribe anytime.

↯ Subscribe to the feed

RSS feed Browse all cases

31mar Identification Mlad

Questions about this case

Related cases

CIA Report On Alleged Republic Of China Maritime Incursion In Fukien

Memorandum From The Joint Chiefs Of Staff, Dated February 17, 1968

Central Intelligence Agency Memorandum Of Conversation Between United States

Central Intelligence Agency Intelligence Note On Kuomintang Forces Operating

CIA Air Warning Radar Facilities, Southwest China – A Declassified Central

More from NSA

27apr Messages

27dec Press Reports

19dec Psalm Reader

13may Personnel

6mar Oswald

Questions about this case

Related cases

CIA Report On Alleged Republic Of China Maritime Incursion In Fukien

Memorandum From The Joint Chiefs Of Staff, Dated February 17, 1968

Central Intelligence Agency Memorandum Of Conversation Between United States

Central Intelligence Agency Intelligence Note On Kuomintang Forces Operating

CIA Air Warning Radar Facilities, Southwest China – A Declassified Central

More from NSA

27apr Messages

27dec Press Reports

19dec Psalm Reader

13may Personnel

6mar Oswald

Get the next declassified case in your inbox