What did the declassified documents reveal?

Declassified. This episode features a declassified Central Intelligence Agency record, a memorandum for the record detailing a meeting on the discontinuation of support to General Li Mi. Dated August twenty-third, nineteen-fifty-one, this document sheds light on American foreign policy concerning Chinese Nationalist forces in Southeast Asia. This record can be found at documents2.theblackvault.com. This document was declassified and released by the Central Intelligence Agency, and is accessible through the National Archives. It was published in nineteen-ninety-four as part of a release of intelligence on China, under the authority of the A-A-R-O, or Assassination Records Review Board. This memorandum provides a direct view into the strategic discussions of the U.S. government regarding its covert operations. MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD. Subject: Meeting on Discontinuation of Support to Li Mi, August twenty-second, nineteen-fifty-one. Participants included Mr. Livingston Merchant from State Department, Colonel Richard B. Stilwell from P-S, Mr. Desmond Fitzgerald from P-H, Mr. Kenneth Krents from State Department, and Colonel William B. De Puy from P-H-2. One. It was agreed that disposition of remaining Li Mi forces in Burma demanded action as continued presence would constitute a festering sore in connection with U.S.-Burmese relations and might possibly still be used as a pretext by the Chinese Communists for intervention in Burma. Two. It was agreed that repatriation of Li Mi's forces, primarily the twenty-sixth Army composed of the ninety-third and one hundred-ninety-third Divisions, was the only feasible solution, and such repatriation could only take place via Thailand. Three. Mr. Merchant read a message addressed to Ambassador Key in which the Burmese were to be assured that the U.S. government was not officially or unofficially in support of, or would be in the future, in support of Li Mi's guerrillas. The message further instructed Ambassador Key to ask the Burmese exactly what solution they had to suggest. Four. It is hoped that the Burmese will spontaneously suggest either repatriation via Thailand to Formosa or internment in Thailand. If the Burmese do not so suggest, Ambassador Key will propose internment in Thailand at the same time offering U.S. good offices with the Thai government. In conversations with the Thais, if events proceed to this point, American representatives will suggest to the Thais that internment might prove such a nuisance as to raise the possibility of repatriation, with the acquiescence of U.S. representation in Burma. This solution would probably satisfy the Burmese; would not make them a party to repatriation; place the Thais in the position of a slight intermediary on behalf of the U.S. and the Burmese governments; force the Chinese Nationalists to accept repatriation of displaced Chinese nationals, if carrying a regular military appreciation. Five. Mr. Merchant will inform U-R of the nature of Ambassador Key's…

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 Record, A Memorandum For The Record

◆ BLUF — The short version

Declassified. This episode features a declassified Central Intelligence Agency record, a memorandum for the record detailing a meeting on the discontinuation of support to General Li Mi. Dated August twenty-third, nineteen-fifty-one, this document sheds light on American foreign policy concerning Chinese Nationalist forces in Southeast Asia.

Date: OCT 17 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was Central Intelligence Agency Record, A Memorandum For The Record about?: Declassified. This episode features a declassified Central Intelligence Agency record, a memorandum for the record detailing a meeting on the discontinuation of support to General Li Mi. Dated August twenty-third, nineteen-fifty-one, this document sheds light on American foreign policy concerning Chinese Nationalist forces in Southeast Asia.
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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