What did the declassified documents reveal?

This is Declassified. Today, we examine a Top Secret memorandum from the Department of State, dated July ninth, nineteen sixty-three, concerning U.S. and Soviet knowledge about Chinese Communist advanced weapons programs. This document provides a rare glimpse into intelligence assessments during a critical period of the Cold War. The full text is available at vault.fbi.gov. This memorandum was released by The Black Vault, an online archive of declassified government documents. It was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and made public in a declassified state. The canonical PDF is available via archive.org/download/us-china-intel-CI01580/CI01580djvu.txt. The document, titled "U.S. AND SOVIET KNOWLEDGE ABOUT CHICOM ADVANCED WEAPONS PROGRAMS," begins by stating: "The Chinese Communists have a missile test range at Shuang-ch'eng-tzu in Northwest China, an elaborate missile research and development installation outside Peiping, and appear to have a cruise missile research and development installation at Lienshan on the Gulf of Chihli. We do not know the kind or number of missiles the Chinese have tested, nor whether they are working exclusively on missiles left behind by the Soviets or have succeeded in fabricating their own missiles from Soviet prototypes. We do not know where the Chinese are fabricating missiles or missile fuel, if they are doing so. The Chinese have an incomplete gaseous diffusion plant in Lanchow and what we believe is probably a small air-cooled plutonium production reactor in Paotow. They have one research reactor in Peiping and one in Sian, as well as atomic research facilities in a number of mainland cities among which are Shanghai, Urumqi, and possibly one or more cities in Manchuria. We do not know what their intentions are concerning the gaseous diffusion plant or whether the Paotou reactor is in operation. We are unsure whether the suspect Paotou reactor was built by the Chinese through their own resources or with Soviet aid. We do not know whether there are any other production reactors on the mainland. We do not know when the Chinese will actually be able to detonate their first device because of our uncertainty about the operational status of their existing installations nor do we know where their testing facilities will be located. The Soviets almost certainly know where the Chinese nuclear and missile facilities are located and what they were originally intended to do. They know what assistance and equipment they provided the Chinese and therefore know what the minimum equipment in the Chinese installations must be. They probably know where most of the Chinese uranium and thorium deposits are located and what the quality and quantity of these are. They almost certainly have more information about the number of range firings by the Chinese than we and know what kind of missiles the Chinese have been working on. They probably know whether any reactors they provided to the Chinese went into operation…

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.

FBI Today, We Examine A Top Secret Memorandum From The Department Of State

◆ BLUF — The short version

This is Declassified. S. and Soviet knowledge about Chinese Communist advanced weapons programs. This document provides a rare glimpse into intelligence assessments during a critical period of the Cold War. gov. This memorandum was released by The Black Vault, an online archive of declassified government documents.

Date: SEP 8 · 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 Top Secret memorandum from the Department of State, dated July ninth, nineteen sixty-three, concerning U.S. and Soviet knowledge about Chinese Communist advanced weapons programs. This document provides a rare glimpse into intelligence assessments during a…

View the primary source document

Questions about this case

What was FBI Today, We Examine A Top Secret Memorandum From The Department Of State about?: This is Declassified. S. and Soviet knowledge about Chinese Communist advanced weapons programs. This document provides a rare glimpse into intelligence assessments during a critical period of the Cold War. gov. This memorandum was released by The Black Vault, an online archive of declassified government documents.
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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FBI Today, We Examine A Top Secret Memorandum From The Department Of State

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