What did the declassified documents reveal?

This episode presents a declassified United States Army memorandum dated April twenty‑ninth, nineteen fifty, concerning the disclosure of classified United States military information on Nationalist China to the United Kingdom. The document is hosted in the public archive of The Black Vault. The record was made publicly available through The Black Vault’s digital collection, identified by the file name CI00341. The release originates from a Freedom of Information Act request, and the declassification authority is listed as the Department of the Army. The material was released to the public on the date of its upload to the archive, and the file includes a best‑available copy of the original memorandum for record. The memorandum opens with a reference to a conversation held on January twentieth, nineteen fifty, devoted to intelligence sharing among United States agencies and the United Kingdom. The discussion noted that any intelligence information on Nationalist China was to be considered an excepted field, as established by the statement of twenty‑six January, nineteen fifty. The United States delegation, represented by the Army, was to be consulted before any such information could be released. A request dated February third, nineteen fifty, from the Logistics Division to the Logistical Division sought information necessary to formulate a reply to the United Kingdom. On February sixteenth, nineteen fifty, the Logistical Division supplied the following data: categories of materiel, quantities of materiel shipped to China proper and to Formosa, compiled from records of the Departments of the Army, Navy—including Marine Groups—and the Air Force. The memorandum recommended that the State Department and the Department of Commerce be contacted should additional sales information, covering either private suppliers or foreign‑owned, locally‑grown (OFLG) sources, be required. The request, forwarded on February seventeenth, nineteen fifty, was coordinated through several officers, including Colonel Gol, Burgess, and Lieutenant Colonel Gilchrist. The memorandum records dissent from several officials: Mr. Cope of the Office of Naval Intelligence, Lieutenant Gol Bliss of the Army Field Operations Intelligence Network, and others. Their objection was based on the “Templer‑Burns Policy” as articulated in the statement of twenty‑six January, nineteen fifty, which declared information on Nationalist China an excepted field, thereby restricting the Navy and Air Force from providing such data. A subsequent letter from the Director of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, dated February twenty‑second, nineteen fifty, restated the request of twenty‑six January, nineteen fifty, and asserted that the interpretation of the Templer‑Burns Agreement did not apply to this particular case. The permanent records copy notes that the information cannot be furnished under the existing policy, and it reiterates the need for a review by the appropriate inter‑agency channels…

Why was this case declassified?

This material entered the public record 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.

Case File · ARCHIVE-001Declassified

Filed NOV 10 · 2026Runtime 1 min

Office Of Naval Intelligence: United States Army Memorandum Dated April Twenty‑ninth, Nineteen Fifty

U.S. public record · FOIAUpdated November 10, 2026

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◆ BLUF — The short version

This episode presents a declassified United States Army memorandum dated April twenty‑ninth, nineteen fifty, concerning the disclosure of classified United States military information on Nationalist China to the United Kingdom. The document is hosted in the public archive of The Black Vault.

Date: NOV 10 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was Office Of Naval Intelligence: United States Army Memorandum Dated April Twenty‑ninth, Nineteen Fifty about?: This episode presents a declassified United States Army memorandum dated April twenty‑ninth, nineteen fifty, concerning the disclosure of classified United States military information on Nationalist China to the United Kingdom. The document is hosted in the public archive of The Black Vault.
Why was this case declassified?: This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. Storyflo narrates it directly from the public release.

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Office Of Naval Intelligence: United States Army Memorandum Dated April Twenty‑ninth, Nineteen Fifty

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