What did the declassified documents reveal?

Declassified presents an intelligence cable from the United States Consulate General in Hong Kong to the Department of State, dated March fifteenth, nineteen-fifty-one. This declassified C.I.A. record details a meeting with General Hsu Ch-ung-chih, an individual being groomed for leadership of a "Third Force" movement in China, and can be found on The Black Vault, at documents two dot the black vault dot com. This document, titled "Latest Step in Grooming of Hsu Ch-ung-chih for Leader of "Third Force" Movement," was released by the C.I.A. under the Freedom of Information Act, F.O.I.A., and is available through the National Archives. It was declassified under exemption B one. The cable, numbered one three one nine, begins: Chao Ping, who has acted as principal contact with the Consulate General for Hsu Ch'ung-chih, invited Mr. Clough, Mr. Frillmann and Mr. McCarthy to attend a dinner on March eighth in order to meet General Hsu. Although direct contact with Hsu had previously been avoided in order that he might not capitalize on this to claim American backing, it was decided that it would be advisable to make use of this social occasion to meet Hsu and size him up. It was obvious from the first moment that everything had been very carefully planned to present Hsu in the most favorable possible light as the natural leader of a "third force" movement. Apparently, his backers were concerned about the rumors around town that Hsu is too old to undertake such a task. Consequently they passed around photographs of the General in tennis togs, said to have been taken just two years ago, and he himself related how fond he is of the game, although he hasn't played for a few months. Before and during dinner he called attention to his ability to consume considerable quantities of liquor as evidence of his hale constitution. The early part of the evening was spent in social chit-chat and a discussion of mainland conditions. However, as the dinner drew to a close, General Hsu took the floor and delivered himself of a monologue punctuated by hearty belches, relating his political experience and dwelling on the reasons for his twenty-year retirement and his decision now to step back on the political stage. He went into great detail in describing the circumstances under which he had warned Sir Archibald Clark-Kerr of the impending German attack on the U.S.S.R. and had similarly predicted to the American Consul in Hong Kong the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His political principles are those of Sun Yat-sen, with a few minor embellishments. In the field of economics, he revealed that during the Japanese war he had suggested as a measure to halt inflation permitting each hsien or even each village to issue its own currency, backed by locally-held reserves. Thus, he felt, confidence could be restored, for local people would know that their currency had backing. Hsu also expressed the conviction that, the "third force" movement would have the sympathy of the United…

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.

CIA Latest Step In Grooming Of Hsu Ch Ung Chih For Leader

◆ BLUF — The short version

Declassified presents an intelligence cable from the United States Consulate General in Hong Kong to the Department of State, dated March fifteenth, nineteen-fifty-one. A.

Date: OCT 23 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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Episode notes

Declassified presents an intelligence cable from the United States Consulate General in Hong Kong to the Department of State, dated March fifteenth, nineteen-fifty-one. This declassified C.I.A. record details a meeting with General Hsu Ch-ung-chih, an individual being groomed for leadership of a…

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What was CIA Latest Step In Grooming Of Hsu Ch Ung Chih For Leader about?: Declassified presents an intelligence cable from the United States Consulate General in Hong Kong to the Department of State, dated March fifteenth, nineteen-fifty-one. A.
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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CIA Latest Step In Grooming Of Hsu Ch Ung Chih For Leader

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