What did the declassified documents reveal?

Cold open. This is a declassified Central Intelligence Agency intelligence assessment on the Chinese Communist Armed Forces, volume ten, chapter eight, section eighty, dated May first, nineteen fifty‑three. The document is notable for its detailed description of the size, organization and capabilities of the People’s Republic of China’s military during the early 1950s, and it was released to the public through The Black Vault archive. Provenance. The record was originally classified as Secret and marked for release under the National Intelligence Survey series, volume thirty‑nine A. It bears a declassification instruction dated May first, nineteen fifty‑three and a review stamp from the CIA dated August first, nineteen ninety‑eight, indicating that the agency approved its public release. The full text is available from The Black Vault at the URL archive dot org slash download slash us‑china‑intel‑CI00991 slash CI00991djvu.txt. The document. The opening section reads: “ARMED FORCES — Introduction. A. General. The revolt of Communist and pro‑Communist‑led units against the Nationalists at Nanchang on August first, nineteen twenty‑seven marked the beginning of the Chinese Communist Army. After struggling for existence from nineteen twenty‑seven to nineteen thirty‑nine, the Army increased considerably during World War Two and began to take the shape of a modern army during the successful war against the Nationalists, nineteen forty‑six to nineteen fifty. Expansion during this period was due chiefly to the assimilation of captured Nationalist personnel and equipment. Further modernization has occurred since the intervention of the Chinese Communists in Korea. During this phase the Chinese Communists obtained Soviet material and technical assistance. During the last twelve years, the Chinese Communist Armed Forces have reached a size and competence to constitute a potent force in the world. The regular forces consist of: Ground Forces, three million eight hundred twenty thousand; Air Force, sixty thousand; Navy, with Marines included, fifty‑seven thousand. In addition, the Chinese Communists can utilize their irregular force, the People’s Militia, which has an estimated strength of six million; it is, however, poorly organized, poorly trained, and poorly equipped. The population of mainland China includes approximately one hundred twenty‑five million males between the ages of fifteen and forty‑nine, of whom about sixty‑three million are physically fit for military service. The Chinese Communist Armed Forces remain predominantly Army. The Regular Army is the largest land army in the world; it exceeds, in numbers, all of the land forces of the Soviet Union, including the Soviet security troops. Despite its size and the degree of modernization effected in recent years, the Chinese Communist Army still has not achieved uniformity of organization and equipment. The firepower of a United States division still exceeds that of a Chinese Communist Army in…

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 Intelligence Assessment On The Chinese Communist

◆ BLUF — The short version

Cold open. This is a declassified Central Intelligence Agency intelligence assessment on the Chinese Communist Armed Forces, volume ten, chapter eight, section eighty, dated May first, nineteen fifty‑three.

Date: OCT 6 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was Central Intelligence Agency Intelligence Assessment On The Chinese Communist about?: Cold open. This is a declassified Central Intelligence Agency intelligence assessment on the Chinese Communist Armed Forces, volume ten, chapter eight, section eighty, dated May first, nineteen fifty‑three.
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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Central Intelligence Agency Intelligence Assessment On The Chinese Communist

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