What did the declassified documents reveal?

Cold open. This is a declassified Central Intelligence Agency memorandum titled U.S. Intelligence on China – Chinese Views toward the United States, dated July fourteenth, nineteen fifty‑one. The document is notable because it contains intercepted Chinese political messages and an internal assessment of divergent factions within the Chinese Communist leadership during the early Korean War cease‑fire negotiations. The full text is hosted at archive dot org. Provenance. The memorandum was released to the public through The Black Vault’s online archive, where it appears as a digitized copy of the original CIA file. The release does not cite a specific Freedom of Information Act case number, but the declassification authority is noted as the Central Intelligence Agency’s Office of Security. The document. Memorandum for: General J. Lawton Collins, Chief of Staff; General Smith, Director, Central Liaison Agency; Park Armstrong, Special Assistant for Intelligence, Department of State; Major General Charles Cabell, Director of Intelligence, Joint Staff; Rear Admiral Alex L. Johnson, Director of Naval Intelligence. Attached is a copy of a message received on a “yes‑clearly” basis from a confidential informant identified as number eight two three five. The memorandum notes the importance of the material and directs immediate distribution. The memorandum continues: “On twelve July, nineteen fifty‑one, Confidential Informant eight two three five furnished the following information. On ten July, nineteen sixty‑one, Liao, Chairman of the All‑China Democratic Young Men’s Association; Tung, Sang‑Tsi, Vice Minister of the Southwest Military Government; Ma, Su‑Lu, Chairman of the Democratic Leaders Association; Lei, Te‑Arh Chou, Chairman of the Chinese Communist Red Cross; and Leh, Wei‑Han, Chairman of the People’s Revolution Party, drafted a message and sent it to Mao Tse‑tung, Head of the Chinese Communist Government. Gist of the message reads as follows: ‘Since the success of the Revolution in our country, we have tried to make friendly contact with other countries, including the United States. The United States does not understand the purpose of our Revolution. We have not been invited to join the United Nations. We feel that now is our chance to let the United States know what our real purpose is toward world affairs. By doing this, we are sure the United States will give up all plans for further invading Asia. For this reason we should be honest during the cease‑fire talks in As‑song. We should not pay attention to what the other foreign power has to say about this, so we should make contact with the United States without the help of foreign powers.’ On ten July, nineteen sixty‑one, Chen, Yi, Commander General, Third Field Army, sent the following message to Mao Tse‑tung: ‘The situation in East Central China is very critical at the present time. It is my hope that the Government will investigate the conditions of our country, and will not be influenced by…

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.

Central Intelligence Agency Memorandum Titled U.s

◆ BLUF — The short version

Cold open. S. Intelligence on China – Chinese Views toward the United States, dated July fourteenth, nineteen fifty‑one. The document is notable because it contains intercepted Chinese political messages and an internal assessment of divergent factions within the Chinese Communist leadership during the early Korean War cease‑fire negotiations.

Date: OCT 18 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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Episode notes

Cold open. This is a declassified Central Intelligence Agency memorandum titled U.S. Intelligence on China – Chinese Views toward the United States, dated July fourteenth, nineteen fifty‑one. The document is notable because it contains intercepted Chinese political messages and an internal…

View the primary source document

Questions about this case

What was Central Intelligence Agency Memorandum Titled U.s about?: Cold open. S. Intelligence on China – Chinese Views toward the United States, dated July fourteenth, nineteen fifty‑one. The document is notable because it contains intercepted Chinese political messages and an internal assessment of divergent factions within the Chinese Communist leadership during the early Korean War cease‑fire negotiations.
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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