What did the declassified documents reveal?

Declassified presents a Central Intelligence Agency record, originally Secret, regarding Peiping as a diplomatic hardship post, dated December thirty-first, nineteen-sixty-four. The document, including maps and photographs, is available through documents2.theblackvault.com. This document was approved for release on February twenty-fifth, nineteen-ninety-four, under the Automatic Declassification Review. It is designated as S-C-one-three-eight-eight-four-point-six-four-A. The document, titled Peiping: Diplomatic Hardship Post, states: "The number of foreign diplomats in Peiping has grown steadily in recent years and there now are more than three hundred stationed in the Chinese Communist capital. There has, however, been no corresponding increase in the amount of information available to the outside world about events in China. Despite their best efforts to penetrate the screen of isolation thrown up around them, members of the diplomatic corps remain essentially a community of the blind. All Communist countries restrict the activities of foreign missions in an effort to maintain maximum security and to prevent contact between their people and representatives of the outside world. The Chinese carry this policy to greater lengths than any other major power, however, and have succeeded in preventing all but the most superficial observation of their country and people by prying 'barbarian envoys.' Paradoxically, the rulers of 'New China' view the presence of foreign officials in Peiping much as did mandarins of the old empire during the last century. No longer able to exclude 'foreign devils' from the Forbidden City, officials of the Chi’ing dynasty during the nineteenth century sought to keep the number to a minimum and to control the activity of those who could not be kept out by a maddening web of oriental 'courtesy' and protocol. The pattern in Peiping today is little different. The French Case The French ambassador and the French charge arrived in Peiping in February and April nineteen-sixty-four respectively. During the past year the Chinese have intensified their drive to win recognition and to establish embassies abroad. Peiping has done little, however, to encourage reciprocity. The treatment received by the French illustrates how Peiping acts when a foreign country sets up a mission in China. Paris recognized Communist China last January. The French ambassador quickly discovered that the Chinese did not share his enthusiasm. The first and most irritating problem — one yet to be solved — was to obtain satisfactory buildings. The French had hoped to get their old embassy compound. [Four lines redacted under exemption B1] but the Chinese offered a dilapidated structure on the fringes of the new diplomatic quarter located, as one foreign official remarked, 'halfway to Siberia.' The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs then informed the French that they would have to foot the bill for renovations. The French refused and consequently are still…

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.

Declassified Presents A Central Intelligence Agency Record, Originally Secret

◆ BLUF — The short version

Declassified presents a Central Intelligence Agency record, originally Secret, regarding Peiping as a diplomatic hardship post, dated December thirty-first, nineteen-sixty-four. com. This document was approved for release on February twenty-fifth, nineteen-ninety-four, under the Automatic Declassification Review. It is designated as S-C-one-three-eight-eight-four-point-six-four-A.

Date: AUG 31 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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Declassified presents a Central Intelligence Agency record, originally Secret, regarding Peiping as a diplomatic hardship post, dated December thirty-first, nineteen-sixty-four. The document, including maps and photographs, is available through documents2.theblackvault.com. This document was…

View the primary source document

Questions about this case

What was Declassified Presents A Central Intelligence Agency Record, Originally Secret about?: Declassified presents a Central Intelligence Agency record, originally Secret, regarding Peiping as a diplomatic hardship post, dated December thirty-first, nineteen-sixty-four. com. This document was approved for release on February twenty-fifth, nineteen-ninety-four, under the Automatic Declassification Review. It is designated as S-C-one-three-eight-eight-four-point-six-four-A.
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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Declassified Presents A Central Intelligence Agency Record, Originally Secret

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