What did the declassified documents reveal?

From Declassified, a storyflo podcast. This declassified cable from the State Department, dated September fourteenth, nineteen-sixty-two, details concerns about a US Navy patrol off the coast of China and the potential for a confrontation. It is available at archive.org. This document was released by the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of State, and made available through The Black Vault. The document begins: AI Department of State Permanent Record copy. SECRET. Control number zero five four three five. Received September fourteenth, nineteen-sixty-two, five fifty-two AM. Info Hong Kong. To: Secretary of State. No: five five nine, September fourteenth, six PM. Priority NIACT. ACTION Department five five nine, INFORMATION CINCPAC NIACT two one, INR, CIA, CINCPAC FOR POLAD, O-S-D, Army, Navy, Air. Reference: CONGENTELS five one six, five five four, Warsaw's A-one six five. CONGEN HAS JUST LEARNED FROM U-S-NAVEL-O HONG KONG THAT U-S-S SHELTON, DD-seven ninety, BEING ASSIGNED MISSION SEPTEMBER sixteenth through twenty-first, PATROL CHICOM coast FROM TAIWAN UP TO SHANTUNG PENINSULA VICINITY AND RETURN. ASSUME THAT WANG PING-NAN'S STRONG PROTEST OVER ALLEGED INTRUSIONS U-S WARSHIPS TSINGTAO AREA AT LAST WARSAW MEETING AUGUST twenty-third (WARSAW'S A-one six five), WHICH EVIDENTLY TOKEN OF EXCEPTIONAL CHICOM SENSITIVITY U-S NAVAL OPERATIONS THIS AREA, TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN SHELTON'S MISSION SCHEDULED. ASSUME FURTHER THAT HEIGHTENING CHICOM ANTI-U-S PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN OVER BOTH RECENT U-two INCIDENTS, PARTICULARLY SHOOTING DOWN OF A G-R-C U-two OVER EAST CHINA, TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. (FOR REPORT ON HOW CHICOMS EXPLOITING U-two'S AND POSSIBLE ADVERSE EFFECTS ON U-S POLICY INTERESTS, SEE REFERENCED CONGENTELS.) HOWEVER, IF MISSION PLANNED PRIOR TO U-two INCIDENTS, CONGEN WOULD RECOMMEND DEFERRING IT UNTIL SUFFICIENT TIME HAS ELAPSED FOR MAINLAND FUROR OVER U-two'S TO DIE DOWN, HEREBY WITHHOLDING NEW MATERIAL FOR PEIPING'S PROPAGANDA MILL AT TIME WHEN IT IS ALREADY GOING ALL OUT AGAINST SO-CALLED "U-S PROVOCATIONS" AND "U-S AGGRESSIVE CRIMES." ON OTHER HAND, IF OVERRIDING MILITARY NECESSITY DICTATES COMPLETION OF SHELTON'S MISSION AS SCHEDULED, CONGEN BELIEVES THAT UNUSUALLY SHARP LANGUAGE USED BY WANG IN PROTESTING "INTRUSIONS" (E.G., "YOUR MILITARY OPERATIONS AND THREATS IN OUR TERRITORIAL SEAS AROUND TSINGTAO HAVE GONE TOO FAR TO BE TOLERATED" AND "IF THE U-S CONTINUES THIS KIND OF PROVOCATIONS AND THREATS IT WILL BE HELD FULLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL CONSEQUENCES ARISING THEREFROM") INDICATES THAT POSSIBILITY OF CLASH WITH CHICOMS CANNOT BE RULED OUT. LACEY. J-T-C. The Black Vault’s archive notes that the USS Shelton was a Gearing-class destroyer, and the “Chicom” reference in the cable refers to the Chinese Communists, or the People’s Republic of China. The U-two incidents refer to the shooting down of U-two spy planes. This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. Find this and other documents at storyflo.com, or…

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.

CIA From Declassified, A Storyflo Podcast.

◆ BLUF — The short version

From Declassified, a storyflo podcast. This declassified cable from the State Department, dated September fourteenth, nineteen-sixty-two, details concerns about a US Navy patrol off the coast of China and the potential for a confrontation. org. This document was released by the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of State, and made available through The Black Vault.

Date: SEP 11 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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From Declassified, a storyflo podcast. This declassified cable from the State Department, dated September fourteenth, nineteen-sixty-two, details concerns about a US Navy patrol off the coast of China and the potential for a confrontation. It is available at archive.org. This document was released…

View the primary source document

Questions about this case

What was CIA From Declassified, A Storyflo Podcast. about?: From Declassified, a storyflo podcast. This declassified cable from the State Department, dated September fourteenth, nineteen-sixty-two, details concerns about a US Navy patrol off the coast of China and the potential for a confrontation. org. This document was released by the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of State, and made available through The Black Vault.
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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