What did the declassified documents reveal?

Cold Open. This is a declassified Central Intelligence Agency memorandum titled Regular CIA‑EA Meeting, twenty‑nine December nineteen sixty‑six, dated January third, nineteen sixty‑seven. The document records a senior‑level discussion of U.S. policy toward Communist China, the Republic of China, and related intelligence operations, and it provides a rare glimpse into the internal assessment of the Grosbeak program and the political dynamics in Taipei. The source is the public archive hosted at archive dot org, originally uploaded by The Black Vault. Provenance. The memorandum was released to the public through The Black Vault’s online collection, which makes available documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. The release date is not specified in the archive entry, and the declassification authority is identified as the Central Intelligence Agency. The document is reproduced in full from the digitized text file available at the archive dot org link. The Document. Memorandum from William McAfee of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research to the Bureau’s Director, Hughes, Washington, January third, nineteen sixty‑seven. Source: Department of State, INR Files, 1966 FE Weekly Staff Meetings. Secret. Also sent to Denney and Evans. Drafted by James R. Gardner of INR/DDC. Subject: Regular CIA‑EA Meeting, twenty‑nine December nineteen sixty‑six. Participants: EA—Messrs. Bundy, Berger, Lakeland, Hamilton (Laos), and Pickering (Thailand); CIA—Messrs. Colby and Smith; INR—Mr. Gardner. Nationalist China. Mr. Colby said that during his recent trip to the Far East he had spent some time in Taipei and while there had had a two‑hour talk with Chiang Ching‑kuo, the Generalissimo’s son. Most of the talk had had to do with the suspension or cancellation of the Grosbeak operation and Chiang, Mr. Colby said, had given it to him with “both barrels.” An unsigned December fifteen memorandum to Bundy conveyed the text of a cable report from Colby, who met with Chiang Ching‑kuo on December twelve. Mr. Bundy noted that during his own recent visit he too had been put under fire by Chiang, on the same cause. Mr. Colby went on to recount some of the details of his own experience. Chiang had asserted that cessation of the operation was “unacceptable,” and he rejected flatly as unnecessary Mr. Colby’s thought that perhaps representatives of the GRC and the United States might conduct a joint review of the matter and the effectiveness of the Grosbeak operation. The decision to end the exercise, Chiang said, was his reward for having relied upon the United States and particularly on CIA. The GRC had lost some one hundred twenty men in the Grosbeak incursions and he simply could not see how, with that investment in human lives, he could confront his Air Force with the decision to end the program. It was with extreme difficulty that he had succeeded in establishing tenuous authority over the older army generals; he had achieved this only by pointing to Air Force…

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.

Regular Cia‑ea Meeting

◆ BLUF — The short version

Cold Open. This is a declassified Central Intelligence Agency memorandum titled Regular CIA‑EA Meeting, twenty‑nine December nineteen sixty‑six, dated January third, nineteen sixty‑seven. S. policy toward Communist China, the Republic of China, and related intelligence operations, and it provides a rare glimpse into the internal assessment of the Grosbeak program and the political dynamics in Taipei.

Date: AUG 17 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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Cold Open. This is a declassified Central Intelligence Agency memorandum titled Regular CIA‑EA Meeting, twenty‑nine December nineteen sixty‑six, dated January third, nineteen sixty‑seven. The document records a senior‑level discussion of U.S. policy toward Communist China, the Republic of China…

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Questions about this case

What was Regular Cia‑ea Meeting about?: Cold Open. This is a declassified Central Intelligence Agency memorandum titled Regular CIA‑EA Meeting, twenty‑nine December nineteen sixty‑six, dated January third, nineteen sixty‑seven. S. policy toward Communist China, the Republic of China, and related intelligence operations, and it provides a rare glimpse into the internal assessment of the Grosbeak program and the political dynamics in Taipei.
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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