What did the declassified documents reveal?

From the storyflo podcast, Declassified. This episode features a declassified U.S. Navy record from nineteen-fifty-six, reporting on a Navy aircraft attacked by hostile forces. This document is available on The Black Vault at documents2.theblackvault.com. This confidential memorandum was declassified and released by the Department of the Navy, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, on August twenty-second, nineteen-fifty-six, with no FOIA case number indicated. The document, dated August twenty-second, nineteen-fifty-six, is a memorandum from the Chief of Naval Operations to the White House Staff, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Navy, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, and Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force. Subject: Report of a U.S. Navy Aircraft Attacked by Hostile Aircraft. One. At sixteen-twenty-five Zulu on twenty-two August, a naval aircraft, a P-four-M-one Martin Mercator, was attacked by unknown aircraft in position latitude twenty-seven degrees fifty-two minutes North, longitude one-hundred-twenty-two degrees zero-eight minutes East. This position is approximately one-hundred-fifty miles North of Formosa and thirty-two miles West of the Chinese Communist mainland. Two. At the time of attack, the plane sent one code group message and repeated it once. The transmission was then abruptly stopped during an attempt to transmit additional information. Three. The missing plane was on a routine patrol flight at the time of attack. Four. The missing aircraft carried a crew of four officers and twelve enlisted men. Five. At the time of attack, the moon was full, weather five-tenths cloud cover, moderate winds. Six. Commander Seventh Fleet has dispatched two destroyers and additional patrol aircraft to search for the missing plane. Authenticated, A. Arleigh Burke, and E. H. Wilson, Assistant Secretary (Administration) to C-N-O. The Black Vault’s archive entry notes that this document concerns a P-four-M-one Mercator that was attacked, with no mention of survivors or wreckage ever being found. This incident occurred during a period of heightened tensions in the Taiwan Strait. The U.S. routinely conducted reconnaissance flights near Chinese airspace, which occasionally led to engagements with Chinese Communist forces. This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. Find this document and more at storyflo.com, and at archive.org/download/us-china-intel-CI01252/CI01252djvu.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.

Army: From The Storyflo Podcast, Declassified.

◆ BLUF — The short version

From the storyflo podcast, Declassified. S. Navy record from nineteen-fifty-six, reporting on a Navy aircraft attacked by hostile forces. com. This confidential memorandum was declassified and released by the Department of the Navy, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, on August twenty-second, nineteen-fifty-six, with no FOIA case number indicated.

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

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Episode notes

From the storyflo podcast, Declassified. This episode features a declassified U.S. Navy record from nineteen-fifty-six, reporting on a Navy aircraft attacked by hostile forces. This document is available on The Black Vault at documents2.theblackvault.com. This confidential memorandum was…

View the primary source document

Questions about this case

What was Army: From The Storyflo Podcast, Declassified. about?: From the storyflo podcast, Declassified. S. Navy record from nineteen-fifty-six, reporting on a Navy aircraft attacked by hostile forces. com. This confidential memorandum was declassified and released by the Department of the Navy, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, on August twenty-second, nineteen-fifty-six, with no FOIA case number indicated.
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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Army: From The Storyflo Podcast, Declassified.

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