What did the declassified documents reveal?

This is a declassified memorandum of conversation from the American Embassy in Taipei, dated November seventeenth, nineteen fifty‑two, reporting on Chinese National troops operating in northern Burma. The record is part of the Central Intelligence Agency’s holdings and is notable because it provides a first‑hand account from a senior Chinese military commander about the size, capabilities, and intentions of those forces during the early Cold War. The document was released to the public through The Black Vault archive. It appears on the archive’s website as a digitized text file, made available without restriction under the agency’s declassification authority. The release date listed on the site is the date the file was uploaded to archive.org. The memorandum reads as follows: SECRET | American Embassy, Taipei, November seventeenth, nineteen fifty‑two. Memorandum of Conversation. Subject: Chinese National Troops in Northern Burma. Reference: Embassy Despatch one‑six‑two, September thirtieth, nineteen fifty‑two, “Chinese forces in Northern Burma.” The reporting officer was approached by Mr. Ma Yuen‑choung, a member of the Legislative Yuan, who asked if the officer could bring a friend who had recently arrived from Yunnan Province and who had been fighting the Communists there almost single‑handed for the past three years. The interview took place last night at the home of the reporting officer. Present were the reporting officer and Mr. William A. Buell, Third Secretary of the Embassy; a representative from the Office of the Military Attaché had been asked but at the last minute was unable to attend. The “friend,” accompanied by Dr. Ma, turned out to be General Liu Kuo‑chen, second to General Li Mi in command of the Chinese troops in Burma. His card read “Deputy Leader of the Yunnan Anti‑Communist National Salvation Army and concurrently Commander of the twenty‑sixth Army.” Dr. Ma acted as translator for General Liu, who spoke Cantonese because he was from Kwangsi, although to the reporting officer the General appeared to be speaking Mandarin with a very heavy accent. In brief, General Liu said that the Chinese troops in the “border regions” constituted the only effective barrier against Communist drive into Southeast Asia. Neither the Burmese nor Thai armies could be counted on to fight; both would turn to whichever side seemed most likely to win. In the event of a counter‑attack against the mainland, he stated his troops, with proper equipment and the support of local sympathizers, could push through Yunnan to Ewangel, from which a drive north could be launched. It may be inferred that the purpose of the General’s visit was to ascertain the chances of receiving American aid, although for some reason he made no direct request in this regard. He conceded that the troops had received arms from the Americans and, until last April, had been obtaining American financial aid at the rate of seven hundred thousand dollars a month. He said the troops…

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 Memorandum Of Conversation From The American Embassy In Taipei, Dated November

◆ BLUF — The short version

Date: OCT 10 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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Episode notes

This is a declassified memorandum of conversation from the American Embassy in Taipei, dated November seventeenth, nineteen fifty‑two, reporting on Chinese National troops operating in northern Burma. The record is part of the Central Intelligence Agency’s holdings and is notable because it…

View the primary source document

Questions about this case

What was CIA Memorandum Of Conversation From The American Embassy In Taipei, Dated November about?: This is a declassified memorandum of conversation from the American Embassy in Taipei, dated November seventeenth, nineteen fifty‑two, reporting on Chinese National troops operating in northern Burma.
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 Memorandum Of Conversation From The American Embassy In Taipei, Dated November

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