What did the declassified documents reveal?

This declassified Central Intelligence Bulletin, issued by the C-I-A on July twenty-seventh, nineteen-fifty-nine, reveals a moment of tension between the United States and Nationalist China regarding aerial reconnaissance over the Chinese mainland. This record is available via documents2.theblackvault.com. This document was released under the Freedom of Information Act as part of the C-I-A's historical review program. Its declassification authority falls under E-O one-three-five-two-six, section three, point three, subsection B, point one, and section three, point four, subsection D. The record was originally classified Top Secret. The bulletin is titled, "Chinese Nationalists Cancel Air Reconnaissance Order." It states: "In an apparent effort to test American reaction, the Chinese Nationalist Ministry of Defense on twenty-three July issued an order to the Nationalist Air Force to conduct an escorted reconnaissance mission to photograph gun positions and airfields on the China mainland in the immediate vicinity of Chinmen Island. The order was canceled after an American protest. Ambassador Drumright reports that the Chinese Nationalists have displayed a growing restiveness over the agreed restrictions on aerial reconnaissance activity over the mainland. The Nationalists appear genuinely concerned over Soviet Premier Khrushchev's references, in his talks with Averill Harriman, to rocket sites on the Chinese mainland, and are anxious to obtain full information on any such Chinese Communist capability. Minister of Defense Yu Ta-wei has informed Admiral Smoot, commander of the U-S Taiwan Defense Command, that the United States has a 'moral obligation' to ensure that information is obtained on the alleged rocket sites." The bulletin continues: "At present, the Nationalists' standard reconnaissance aircraft is the R-F-eighty-four-F, which requires fighter escort. They have four supersonic R-F-one-hundreds, however, and are scheduled to receive four high-performance R-F-one-oh-ones in August. Both of these types should be able to operate without escort, and a Nationalist request for permission to use them to photograph the coastal areas near Taiwan can be anticipated." The Central Intelligence Agency, in a historical overview of its intelligence production, noted that daily intelligence bulletins served as a primary means of informing senior policymakers of critical developments. These bulletins aimed to provide immediate, actionable intelligence without extensive analysis, focusing on direct reporting from various intelligence streams. This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. storyflo.com. That's S-T-O-R-Y-F-L-O dot com. This document can be found at archive.org/download/us-china-intel-CI01358/CI01358djvu.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-373Declassified

Filed SEP 18 · 2026Runtime 1 min

CIA This Declassified Central Intelligence Bulletin, Issued By The C I A On July

U.S. public record · FOIAUpdated September 18, 2026

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This declassified Central Intelligence Bulletin, issued by the C-I-A on July twenty-seventh, nineteen-fifty-nine, reveals a moment of tension between the United States and Nationalist China regarding aerial reconnaissance over the Chinese mainland. com. This document was released under the Freedom of Information Act as part of the C-I-A's historical review program.

Date: SEP 18 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was CIA This Declassified Central Intelligence Bulletin, Issued By The C I A On July about?: This declassified Central Intelligence Bulletin, issued by the C-I-A on July twenty-seventh, nineteen-fifty-nine, reveals a moment of tension between the United States and Nationalist China regarding aerial reconnaissance over the Chinese mainland. com. This document was released under the Freedom of Information Act as part of the C-I-A's historical review program.
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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