What did the declassified documents reveal?

This is Declassified. Today, we examine a Central Intelligence Agency record from September twenty-first, nineteen-sixty-one, detailing the discovery of a missile range in Communist China. This document is available at documents2.theblackvault.com. This document was declassified and released by the C-I-A in April two-thousand-three, without an associated F-O-I-A case number. The release was authorized by the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel, under the authority of Executive Order one-two-nine-five-eight. The document is titled, "Current Intelligence Weekly Review, September twenty-first, nineteen-sixty-one." On page seventeen, under the heading "Missile Range in Communist China," it states: "Information indicates the establishment of a guided-missile range in the northwestern part of Communist China. Soviet technicians arrived in Shuang-cheng-tzu in January nineteen-sixty and conducted 'missile testing' experiments with a Chinese Communist Army company. The rangehead is believed to be located about five-hundred nautical miles northwest of Lan-chou in the vicinity of Shuang-cheng-tzu. Firings were reportedly initiated as early as January nineteen-sixty. The range is believed to extend westward from Shuang-cheng-tzu along the forty degree parallel at least four-hundred-fifty nautical miles and possibly as much as one-thousand nautical miles to the vicinity of the border with the Soviet Union. Firings reported to date have been of short-range surface-to-surface types, probably troop firings of missiles acquired from the U-S-S-R. The Soviet S-S-one and S-S-two are estimated to have maximum ranges of one-hundred-fifty and three-hundred-fifty nautical miles respectively. The terrain is such that missiles in the seven-hundred- and one-thousand-one-hundred-nautical-mile range could be fired on the range. Soviet scientists assist the tests and in the establishment of the range. The test firings may have continued even after the general exodus of Soviet technicians. [three lines redacted] A short-range missile of Chinese Communist design was tested at Chi-lien, near Shuang-cheng-tzu, in June and July of that year. [One line redacted] There is an attached map showing "Communist China Probable Missile Range," with the rangehead marked in the vicinity of Shuang-cheng-tzu, and the range extending west towards the Soviet Union border. [Two lines redacted] This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. For more declassified documents, visit storyflo.com and documents2.theblackvault.com.

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.

Today, We Examine A Central Intelligence Agency Record From September

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This is Declassified. Today, we examine a Central Intelligence Agency record from September twenty-first, nineteen-sixty-one, detailing the discovery of a missile range in Communist China. com. This document was declassified and released by the C-I-A in April two-thousand-three, without an associated F-O-I-A case number.

Date: SEP 15 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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This is Declassified. Today, we examine a Central Intelligence Agency record from September twenty-first, nineteen-sixty-one, detailing the discovery of a missile range in Communist China. This document is available at documents2.theblackvault.com. This document was declassified and released by the…

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What was Today, We Examine A Central Intelligence Agency Record From September about?: This is Declassified. Today, we examine a Central Intelligence Agency record from September twenty-first, nineteen-sixty-one, detailing the discovery of a missile range in Communist China. com. This document was declassified and released by the C-I-A in April two-thousand-three, without an associated F-O-I-A case number.
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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