What did the declassified documents reveal?

Declassified presents a May nineteen-fifty-six memorandum from the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Chairman, regarding Chinese Nationalist harassment of Soviet shipping. This document, available at the Black Vault, highlights tensions in the South China Sea. This record was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by the Black Vault and declassified under the authority of the National Archives and Records Administration. The document, a memorandum dated May twenty-first, nineteen-fifty-six, is from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington twenty-five, D.C. It is addressed to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, via the Director, The Joint Staff. The subject is: Chinese Nationalist Harassment of Soviet shipping. It references a cable from COMTAIWANDEFCOM/U.S. to CINCPAC, dated May fifteenth, nineteen-fifty-six, number four thousand nine hundred fourteen. One. The attached cable refers to President Chiang’s attitude toward Soviet shipping, which since February has shifted back to the South China Sea route, see attached map. Two. On the basis of an erroneous report that two Soviet merchant ships, carrying P-O-L and rubber, had departed Singapore for Tientsin, the Ministry of National Defense ordered two D-E's and two aircraft to search the Bashi Channel area. Actually, one Soviet vessel was carrying sugar to Shanghai; the other was westbound from Singapore. Patrols were ordered to identify the ships, inquire as to destination, but not to intercept, board, or fire on the vessels. No contact with Soviet vessels was made. Three. A similar attempt to harass a Swedish merchant ship on March twenty-eighth resulted in a challenge which was ignored by the Swedish vessel. Four. The attached cable shows that Chiang’s original orders were to capture the vessels, adding to our belief that such action will be taken if the opportunity arises, despite M-N-D's assurances to the contrary. Very respectfully, Robert Totten, Colonel, U-S-A-F, Acting Deputy Director for Intelligence, The Joint Staff. An attached map details Soviet shipping routes and Chinese Nationalist patrols in the region, encompassing Peiping, the Sea of Japan, and Korea. The archive entry notes that this declassified record offers a glimpse into U.S. intelligence monitoring of international maritime activities during the Cold War, specifically the volatile interactions between Chinese Nationalist forces and Soviet commercial vessels. This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. storyflo.com, and the document's canonical U-R-L is archive.org/download/us-china-intel-C-I-zero-one-two-four-eight/C-I-zero-one-two-four-eightdjvu.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.

Case File · ARCHIVE-386Declassified

Filed SEP 23 · 2026Runtime 1 min

CIA Declassified Presents A May Nineteen Fifty Six Memorandum From The Joint Chiefs

U.S. public record · FOIAUpdated September 23, 2026

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Declassified presents a May nineteen-fifty-six memorandum from the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Chairman, regarding Chinese Nationalist harassment of Soviet shipping. This document, available at the Black Vault, highlights tensions in the South China Sea.

Date: SEP 23 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was CIA Declassified Presents A May Nineteen Fifty Six Memorandum From The Joint Chiefs about?: Declassified presents a May nineteen-fifty-six memorandum from the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Chairman, regarding Chinese Nationalist harassment of Soviet shipping. This document, available at the Black Vault, highlights tensions in the South China Sea.
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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