What did the declassified documents reveal?

This declassified Navy intelligence report, dated June twenty-seventh, nineteen-fifty-one, details the estimated strength of Chinese Communist air forces during the Korean War. This document provides a rare glimpse into United States intelligence gathering on the Chinese air order of battle at a critical period. It is accessible via the Black Vault archives at documents2.theblackvault.com. This document was declassified by the United States Air Force in two-thousand-four. While no specific Freedom of Information Act case number is provided in the publicly released record, its declassification was authorized under the Automatic Declassification Review process, ensuring public access to historical intelligence. The document, designated Top Secret, is titled "Intelligence Information Report, A-F one-fifty-one." It states: "Approximately two-hundred-eighty-nine additional aircraft, M-I-G-fifteens, are given in the attached." The report then lists locations of estimated air establishments including Peiping-Tientsin, Shanghai, Canton, Tsitsihar, Harbin, Changchun, and Mukden. For each location, the number of aircraft is redacted. For example, for Peiping-Tientsin, the document lists: "Peiping. [four lines redacted under exemption B-one]." This pattern of redaction repeats for each identified air base. The document contains a prominent warning: "The transmission or the revelation of its contents in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law, except by permission of the Director of the National Defense of the United States." It also states: "Its transmittal may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, by other intelligence, United States Air Force agencies, without the prior approval of the issuing office." According to the Black Vault, this report represents the United States' intelligence estimate of Chinese Communist air power, noting the presence of M-I-G-fifteen aircraft. The specific numbers of aircraft at each location remain classified. This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. Find this document and more at storyflo.com, and by searching C-I-zero-zero-seven-six-three at archive.org/download/us-china-intel-CI00763/CI00763djvu.txt.

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.

This Declassified Navy Intelligence Report, Dated June Twenty Seventh

◆ BLUF — The short version

This declassified Navy intelligence report, dated June twenty-seventh, nineteen-fifty-one, details the estimated strength of Chinese Communist air forces during the Korean War. This document provides a rare glimpse into United States intelligence gathering on the Chinese air order of battle at a critical period.

Date: OCT 19 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was This Declassified Navy Intelligence Report, Dated June Twenty Seventh about?: This declassified Navy intelligence report, dated June twenty-seventh, nineteen-fifty-one, details the estimated strength of Chinese Communist air forces during the Korean War. This document provides a rare glimpse into United States intelligence gathering on the Chinese air order of battle at a critical period.
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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This Declassified Navy Intelligence Report, Dated June Twenty Seventh

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