What did the declassified documents reveal?

This is Declassified. Today, we're examining a Central Intelligence Agency record about United States intelligence on China. This Top Secret document, a cable dated July twenty-fourth, nineteen-fifty, contains significant intelligence briefs concerning Chinese Communist air strength. This record is available on documents two dot the black vault dot com. This document was released under the Freedom of Information Act. It was declassified by the Director of Central Intelligence and released on May twenty-second, two-thousand-and-one. The document is titled, "Significant Intelligence Briefs from A-F-O-I-N, C-O-N-A-C." The information contained in these briefs is unevaluated by the Director of Coordination, Chief of the Williams S.A.F. Executive, Estimate Director. Division of Intelligence. The document reports on Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East. For the Far East, under the heading "China," it reads: New Estimate of Chinese Communist Air Strength. Chinese Nationalist Air Forces sources in Formosa have furnished their latest estimate of C-C-A-F strength in two versions which are at some variance with each other. According to the first estimate, the C-C-A-F is said to have two-hundred-sixty-eight aircraft, of which one-hundred-eighty-seven can be used for combat. Combat types consist of one-hundred-thirty-five fighters, forty-two bombers, and ten reconnaissance aircraft. Sixty Soviet fighters (L-A-five, seven, nine) and forty Soviet bombers (T-U-two, I-L-ten, T-B-seven) are included in the total. In addition, forty-one Soviet jet fighters of unidentified make are said to be based at Shanghai, Nanking, and Canton. The second version of C-C-A-F strength places total aircraft at four-hundred-forty, of which one-hundred-forty-seven are Soviet types. The latter include thirty-six T-U-two bombers, seventy-six fighters, and thirty-two Y-A-K-twenty-one (M-I-G-fourteen) jet fighters. The jets are said to be in Soviet units attached to C-C-A-F units. Figures include one-hundred-ninety-one Japanese types at various locations, mainly in North China and Manchuria. Comment: While the two estimates vary, there is undoubtedly truth in both of them. The first estimate is believed to portray more accurately the actual combat strength of the Chinese Communist Air Force. Upon preliminary analysis, the two estimates are not as far apart on actual combat strength of the C-C-A-F as they appear at first glance. Excluding Japanese types, which are probably used mainly as trainers, strength in both fighters and bombers is fairly close to present estimates of the Director of Intelligence, U-S-A-F. Confirmatory information of significance is that concerning the presence of T-U-two bombers. There have been previous indications that the C-C-A-F would attempt to secure T-U-two’s to round out its combat potential for offensive operations, but this is the first information tending to confirm that acquisition of these aircraft is in progress…

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-006Declassified

Filed NOV 8 · 2026Runtime 1 min

Today, We're Examining A Central Intelligence Agency Record About United States

U.S. public record · FOIAUpdated November 8, 2026

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◆ BLUF — The short version

This is Declassified. Today, we're examining a Central Intelligence Agency record about United States intelligence on China. This Top Secret document, a cable dated July twenty-fourth, nineteen-fifty, contains significant intelligence briefs concerning Chinese Communist air strength. This record is available on documents two dot the black vault dot com.

Date: NOV 8 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was Today, We're Examining A Central Intelligence Agency Record About United States about?: This is Declassified. Today, we're examining a Central Intelligence Agency record about United States intelligence on China. This Top Secret document, a cable dated July twenty-fourth, nineteen-fifty, contains significant intelligence briefs concerning Chinese Communist air strength. This record is available on documents two dot the black vault dot com.
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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