What did the declassified documents reveal?

From Declassified, a Storyflo podcast. This declassified Central Intelligence Agency memorandum, dated February twentieth, nineteen-sixty-three, details the status of C-I-A air activities, including U-2 spy plane missions, over China and North Vietnam during the Cold War. It is publicly available via The Black Vault at documents2.theblackvault.com. This document was declassified and released by the Central Intelligence Agency. It was approved for release on January twenty-fourth, two-thousand-three, under the declassification authority of the C-I-A Directorate of Operations. The original document is classified Top Secret. The document reads: Memorandum for: Director of Central Intelligence. Through: Deputy Director, Research. Subject: Status Report on C-I-A Air Activities for the Period February fourteenth through February twentieth, nineteen-sixty-three. This memorandum is for information only and contains a status report on Agency Air Activities undertaken during the subject period in implementation of Special Group approvals: Project Idealist (U-2). A. Idealist / Tackle: Four Tackle missions were approved by the Special Group on January thirty-first, nineteen-sixty-three; the highest priority of the four remains that to the Szechwan Basin. It has been planned to consolidate two of the approvals, namely that of the sortie to Paotou and a second to [one line redacted] in Lan-Chou into a single mission to be staged [two lines redacted] as approved by the Special Group February fifteenth. The requirement for a second sortie will be determined after evaluation of the take on this consolidated mission. During the subject period negotiations [one line redacted] commenced with the [one line redacted] toward the [one line redacted] and Ambassador [one line redacted] a staging (Operation [one line redacted]). A survey team is currently in place in [one line redacted] on this matter. No formal response has been received from Ambassador [one line redacted] concurrence as yet. Weather briefings were held daily for possible Tackle missions throughout China, and forecast weather was below minimum acceptable standards for satisfactory photographic coverage on each day. B. Idealist [one line redacted]: One sortie was approved for February, including permission to transit Laos south of eighteen degrees north latitude en route to [one line redacted] and from North Vietnam from the base at [one line redacted]. Mission was originally approved by the Special Group on January seventeenth, nineteen-sixty-three, and reapproved for February on January thirty-first. Weather briefings were held daily during the subject period with the same unfavorable result as that stated for the China Mainland above. C. Idealist [one line redacted]: One [one line redacted] mission was approved for February by the Special Group against targets in the Sino-Indian border. On February fifteenth, C-O-M-O-R stated that there are no outstanding current intelligence requirements in the area…

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-360Declassified

Filed SEP 9 · 2026Runtime 1 min

CIA From Declassified, A Storyflo Podcast.

U.S. public record · FOIAUpdated September 9, 2026

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◆ BLUF — The short version

From Declassified, a Storyflo podcast. This declassified Central Intelligence Agency memorandum, dated February twentieth, nineteen-sixty-three, details the status of C-I-A air activities, including U-2 spy plane missions, over China and North Vietnam during the Cold War. com. This document was declassified and released by the Central Intelligence Agency.

Date: SEP 9 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was CIA From Declassified, A Storyflo Podcast. about?: From Declassified, a Storyflo podcast. This declassified Central Intelligence Agency memorandum, dated February twentieth, nineteen-sixty-three, details the status of C-I-A air activities, including U-2 spy plane missions, over China and North Vietnam during the Cold War. com. This document was declassified and released by the Central Intelligence Agency.
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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