What did the declassified documents reveal?

From vault.fbi.gov, this declassified Central Intelligence Bulletin from September nineteenth, nineteen-sixty-four, details a recent incident in the Gulf of Tonkin and Soviet intelligence regarding Chinese nuclear ambitions. This record, a Central Intelligence Agency document, was released on May fifteenth, two-thousand-eight, under the Freedom of Information Act, with an NSA review completed and NAVY and State Department reviews completed, removing Group One exclusion from automatic downgrading and declassification. It can be found at documents2.theblackvault.com. The document, marked "Top Secret," is titled "Central Intelligence Bulletin: Current Intelligence Relating to National Security." On September nineteenth, nineteen-sixty-four, the Central Intelligence Bulletin contained the following: Item one: North Vietnam. Patrolling U S destroyers fire on several unidentified targets in Gulf of Tonkin. Item two: Communist China. Soviets believe Chinese Communists could detonate nuclear device at any time. Item three: [four lines redacted under exemption B1]. Item four: [two lines redacted under exemption B1]. Item five: West Germany - U S S R. Erhard not optimistic about his forthcoming meeting with Khrushchev. Further into the bulletin, under the "Daily Brief" section, dated September nineteenth, nineteen-sixty-four, it states: "North Vietnam: (information as of zero-three-hundred Eastern Daylight Time) Two U S destroyers, patrolling in the Gulf of Tonkin, on eighteen September opened fire on several unidentified targets which may have been North Vietnamese patrol craft. The incident occurred about fifty-five miles east of Vinh during the hours of darkness. At approximately twenty-twenty-three (twelve-twenty-three Greenwich Mean Time) the U S S Morton, one of the two U S vessels comprising the "Desoto" patrol, reported that its radar had disclosed four unidentified vessels. After turning and firing warning shots at the vessels Morton reported that the 'Target' vessels had increased speed and were 'closing in.' The two destroyers then opened fire on the vessels and at least three of them were believed hit. Subsequent reports from the patrol indicate that it received no fire from the unidentified craft and no visual sightings were made. Shortly thereafter the destroyers fired at another unidentified craft but again no sightings were made. A reconnaissance aircraft operating in the area at the time of the incident reported seeing the fire from the destroyers and noted the wake from several unidentified vessels but made no sighting of the vessels themselves. Intercepted communications have revealed that the North Vietnamese were aware of the presence of this patrol as early as seventeen September and had issued alert instructions to its naval units. One of these, issued shortly before the incident occurred, specifically ordered naval units in the south to beware of the American vessels and to 'avoid provocation.' Subsequently North Vietnamese naval…

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 Vault.fbi.gov, This Declassified Central Intelligence Bulletin

◆ BLUF — The short version

gov, this declassified Central Intelligence Bulletin from September nineteenth, nineteen-sixty-four, details a recent incident in the Gulf of Tonkin and Soviet intelligence regarding Chinese nuclear ambitions.

Date: SEP 2 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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From vault.fbi.gov, this declassified Central Intelligence Bulletin from September nineteenth, nineteen-sixty-four, details a recent incident in the Gulf of Tonkin and Soviet intelligence regarding Chinese nuclear ambitions. This record, a Central Intelligence Agency document, was released on May…

View the primary source document

Questions about this case

What was CIA From Vault.fbi.gov, This Declassified Central Intelligence Bulletin about?: gov, this declassified Central Intelligence Bulletin from September nineteenth, nineteen-sixty-four, details a recent incident in the Gulf of Tonkin and Soviet intelligence regarding Chinese nuclear ambitions.
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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CIA From Vault.fbi.gov, This Declassified Central Intelligence Bulletin

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