What did the declassified documents reveal?

This is a declassified United States Army intelligence cable concerning Chinese Communist intentions, dated July thirty‑first, nineteen sixty‑seven. The document is notable because it offers a contemporaneous assessment of small‑scale incursions launched from the islands off the Chinese coast and the capabilities of the Communist forces at that time. It is sourced from the Black Vault archive. The cable was released to the public through a Freedom of Information Act request. The Black Vault entry lists the document under the identifier CI01819 and provides a downloadable text file. The declassification authority is the United States Army, and the release date is recorded on the archive page. The source URL is https://archive.org/download/us-china-intel-CI01819/CI01819djvu.txt. Department of State TELEGRAM – SECRET – PAGE ONE – TAIPEI 98229 3110092. To: Secretary of State, Washington D. C. From: Embassy, Taipei. Subject: Country Team Assessment of GRC Intentions. This message discusses the problem of “when GRC’s maritime incursions” and delineates what they are and what they are not. The incursions are small‑scale. We know of no plans to mount any large‑scale military or paramilitary operations now or in the near future; such operations are unlikely and beyond GRC capabilities. The disastrous incursion of August nineteen sixty‑five, in which the GRC lost two ships near Tungshan Island, is cited. Since that time there have been seven known incursions – rubber rafts, class fiberglass speedboats, and an outboard‑powered catamaran. These have generally comprised six to eighteen people. The largest was a team of about fifteen men using two speedboats in the Shunting raid on twenty‑nine May nineteen sixty‑seven. GRC intentions are small‑scale. These relate to military intelligence, small‑scale sabotage, occasional interdiction of fishing boats, infiltration of agents into mainland China, and psychological impact. The incursions include forces from the Chinese Navy, Chinese Army, the intelligence bureau of the Ministry of National Defense, and regular forces from the anti‑communist National Salvation Army. A group of some two hundred regular soldiers is primarily stationed on Tung Yin Island. The particular units used do not employ map equipment and are not “M‑A‑G” supported. There is, however, occasional support to certain GRC intelligence‑collecting efforts. There is no effective central GRC direction or coordination of these incursions. These incursions often run without the coordination

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.

United States Army Intelligence Cable Concerning Chinese Communist Intentions

◆ BLUF — The short version

This is a declassified United States Army intelligence cable concerning Chinese Communist intentions, dated July thirty‑first, nineteen sixty‑seven. The document is notable because it offers a contemporaneous assessment of small‑scale incursions launched from the islands off the Chinese coast and the capabilities of the Communist forces at that time.

Date: AUG 15 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was United States Army Intelligence Cable Concerning Chinese Communist Intentions about?: This is a declassified United States Army intelligence cable concerning Chinese Communist intentions, dated July thirty‑first, nineteen sixty‑seven. The document is notable because it offers a contemporaneous assessment of small‑scale incursions launched from the islands off the Chinese coast and the capabilities of the Communist forces at that time.
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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United States Army Intelligence Cable Concerning Chinese Communist Intentions

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