What did the declassified documents reveal?

Welcome to Declassified. Today, we examine a declassified United States Army record detailing the movement of Chinese Communist Forces into Manchuria. This memo, dated November thirtieth, nineteen-fifty, provides intelligence on troop deployments during the Korean War. This document is available at documents2.theblackvault.com. This document was declassified by the United States Army and released through the Freedom of Information Act. It represents a brief, actionable intelligence report from the period, demonstrating the kind of real-time information analysts were working with. The document, titled "Chinese Communist Troops in Manchuria," is a memorandum for General H.L. Kroughley, dated November twenty-ninth, nineteen-fifty. It opens: "Prior to the crossing of the thirty-eighth Parallel by United Nations Forces, Communist Premier Chou En-lai made a statement over the Peking radio warning that 'the Chinese people would not stand supinely by while their neighbor was being invaded.' This statement followed a vitriolic broadcast against the United States, wherein Peking stated that China 'will always stand on the side of the Korean people' and 'cannot but warmly sympathize with and support their liberation of Korea.'" The memo continues: "It was about this same time that a Chinese delegation headed by Lu Youjou, Chairman of the Committee for Culture and Education, visited Pyongyang and assured the North Korean people of Chinese Communist support. At this time there were an estimated sixteen thousand troops in Manchuria. By eight August, this increased to an estimated two hundred seventeen thousand, and by thirty August, to [redacted]. By two September, this number had almost doubled, with a total of four hundred thousand reported to be in Manchuria, adjacent to Korea. Another substantial increase in this troop strength was noted during the period twenty-one September to sixteen November, at which time there were an estimated eight hundred thirty-three thousand Chinese Communist troops in Manchuria and Korea. Present estimates cite approximately nine hundred eighty-five thousand troops in Manchuria and Korea." An attachment, titled "Movement of C.C.F. to Manchuria," is dated two November, nineteen-fifty. It states: "On fifteen May, the movement of the Fortieth Army from [redacted] was first detected among the weak numbers of the Fourth Field Army then concentrating in the vicinity of Canton in South China. Between the fourth and sixth of July, elements of the Fortieth Army were based in Canton on a north bound train. At this time there was no definite indication that the final destination of these troops was Manchuria. Chinese Communists had at that time the capability of attacking Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Indochina. This caused a definite decrease in Canton during the entire month of July. In early August it became apparent that the destination of these troops was Manchuria. By eight August the advance elements of the Fortieth Army began to arrive…

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-008Declassified

Filed OCT 28 · 2026Runtime 1 min

Today, We Examine A Declassified United States Army Record

U.S. public record · FOIAUpdated October 28, 2026

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◆ BLUF — The short version

Welcome to Declassified. Today, we examine a declassified United States Army record detailing the movement of Chinese Communist Forces into Manchuria. This memo, dated November thirtieth, nineteen-fifty, provides intelligence on troop deployments during the Korean War. com. This document was declassified by the United States Army and released through the Freedom of Information Act.

Date: OCT 28 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was Today, We Examine A Declassified United States Army Record about?: Welcome to Declassified. Today, we examine a declassified United States Army record detailing the movement of Chinese Communist Forces into Manchuria. This memo, dated November thirtieth, nineteen-fifty, provides intelligence on troop deployments during the Korean War. com. This document was declassified by the United States Army and released through the Freedom of Information Act.
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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