What did the declassified documents reveal?

Cold Open. This episode presents a Central Intelligence Agency memorandum dated eight September, nineteen sixty‑seven, titled “Request for Assistance in Investigation of Loss of U‑2 Aircraft.” The document records the agency’s assessment of a downed U‑2 over eastern China and the subsequent analysis of the mission. It is hosted on the public archive at archive.org. Provenance. The memorandum was released to the public through a Freedom of Information Act request and declassified on March fifteenth, two thousand six. The declassification was authorized by the CIA’s Directorate of History, and the full text is available from The Black Vault and the Internet Archive at the URL provided. The Document. Memorandum for: Deputy Director for Plans. Subject: Request for Assistance in Investigation of Loss of U‑2. Eight September, nineteen sixty‑seven. Preliminary conclusions regarding the loss of an IDEALIST/TACKLE U‑2 in Che‑chiang Province, eastern China, indicate that the aircraft was most probably brought down by Communist surface‑to‑air missile fire. The approximate coordinates where the loss occurred are thirty degrees thirty‑eight minutes north, one hundred twenty degrees twenty‑five minutes east, approximately sixty‑five miles southwest of Shanghai. Attachment: National Security Agency, United States Air Force reviews completed. Signed, Carl E. Dukett, Deputy Director for Science and Technology. --- Memorandum for: Deputy Director for Science and Technology. Subject: Analysis of TACKLE Mission C297C after loss. Eight September, nineteen sixty‑seven. This memorandum is for information only. The study results from an exhaustive analysis of all available data pertinent to the loss of Article three‑seven‑three on eight September, nineteen sixty‑seven, and represents the coordinated views of the Office of Special Activities, the Office of Scientific Intelligence, and the Office of ELINT. Facts: a. Communist airfield targets were identified in the mission area. b. The mission aircraft on eight September followed a route designed to cover six of the seventeen highest‑priority targets. The aircraft penetrated Communist territory at approximately zero three zero two seven hours Greenwich Mean Time at a point on the China coast approximately forty‑five nautical miles northeast of the target area. c. Within the twenty‑four hour period prior to launch, and again shortly after loss of the aircraft, the National Photographic Interpretation Center completed a detailed surface‑to‑air missile search. Attachment one depicts the planned route. The NPIC search examined all available photography of the area within fifty nautical miles of the last reported position of the aircraft. With the exception of previously reported missile sites at Shanghai, NPIC was unable to detect any new sites, as shown in Attachment two. On nineteen September, nineteen sixty‑seven, the Imagery Analysis Staff of the Directorate of Intelligence reported discovery of a probable missile site…

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 Request For Assistance In Investigation Of Loss Of U‑2 Aircraft.

◆ BLUF — The short version

Cold Open. ” The document records the agency’s assessment of a downed U‑2 over eastern China and the subsequent analysis of the mission. org. Provenance. The memorandum was released to the public through a Freedom of Information Act request and declassified on March fifteenth, two thousand six.

Date: AUG 13 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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Episode notes

Cold Open. This episode presents a Central Intelligence Agency memorandum dated eight September, nineteen sixty‑seven, titled “Request for Assistance in Investigation of Loss of U‑2 Aircraft.” The document records the agency’s assessment of a downed U‑2 over eastern China and the subsequent…

View the primary source document

Questions about this case

What was CIA Request For Assistance In Investigation Of Loss Of U‑2 Aircraft. about?: Cold Open. ” The document records the agency’s assessment of a downed U‑2 over eastern China and the subsequent analysis of the mission. org. Provenance. The memorandum was released to the public through a Freedom of Information Act request and declassified on March fifteenth, two thousand six.
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 Request For Assistance In Investigation Of Loss Of U‑2 Aircraft.

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