What did the declassified documents reveal?

This episode presents a declassified Central Intelligence Agency memorandum titled Evaluation of Proposed Excised Mission C‑038C, dated twelve January 1968. The document is notable because it details a planned aerial reconnaissance flight over the coastal air‑defense zones of the People’s Republic of China during a period of heightened Cold War tension. The source is archived at The Black Vault, accessible through the URL archive.org/download/us‑china‑intel‑CI01850/CI01850djvu.txt. The memorandum was released to the public through The Black Vault’s online repository as part of the agency’s ongoing declassification effort. The release is attributed to the CIA’s Freedom of Information Act program, with the document made available on the archive’s website on the date of upload. No specific FOIA case number is listed, but the declassification authority is the CIA’s Office of Information Management. Now, the document itself. Memorandum for: Director of Special Activities Date: twelve January 1968 Attention: Chief, Intelligence Division Subject: Evaluation of Proposed Excised Mission C‑038C, thirteen January 1968 Reference: WM 2728/66, twenty‑four October 1966 1. This memorandum is an evaluation made in preparation for Mission C‑038C and is forwarded in compliance with the Office’s responsibilities as set forth in the reference. Mission C‑038C is scheduled to be flown on thirteen January 1968. The proposed route lies over water along the coastal periphery of the East and Southeast China Air Defense Districts, roughly between Shanghai and Amoy. 2. Review and analysis of the intended route, and the intercept attempts against peripheral missions in the past, indicate that one, possibly two MIG‑21 fighter reactions could be encountered. The AOB and other intelligence sources show seven MIG‑21s at Wu Hu airfield (thirty‑one degrees twenty‑four minutes north, one hundred‑eighteen degrees twenty‑three minutes east), one MIG‑21 at Yen Cheng airfield (thirty‑three degrees twenty‑six minutes north, one hundred‑twenty degrees twelve minutes east), and five MIG‑21s at Nan Chang/Hsiang Tang airfield (twenty‑eight degrees twenty‑six minutes north, one hundred‑fifteen degrees fifty‑six minutes east). 3. SA‑2 missile sites are deployed in the Shanghai, Chia Hsing and Kuang Chou areas but there would be only a remote possibility of a SAM reaction against the mission if the route is flown ten to fifteen miles off‑shore as planned. Director of Scientific Intelligence Distribution: Copies 1 and 2 – Addressee 3 and 4 – D/OSI 5 and 6 – Ch/DSD/OSI 7 and 8 – ADB/DSD OSI/DSD/ ADB MM: jde/5788 (twelve January 1968) [End of memorandum] The CIA’s archival description, provided alongside the document, notes that the memorandum reflects standard pre‑mission risk assessment procedures for covert aerial operations in the late 1960s. It emphasizes the reliance on previously gathered intelligence—airfield aircraft inventories and surface‑to‑air missile deployments—to gauge potential…

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 Evaluation Of Proposed Excised Mission C‑038c

◆ BLUF — The short version

This episode presents a declassified Central Intelligence Agency memorandum titled Evaluation of Proposed Excised Mission C‑038C, dated twelve January 1968. The document is notable because it details a planned aerial reconnaissance flight over the coastal air‑defense zones of the People’s Republic of China during a period of heightened Cold War tension.

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

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What was CIA Evaluation Of Proposed Excised Mission C‑038c about?: This episode presents a declassified Central Intelligence Agency memorandum titled Evaluation of Proposed Excised Mission C‑038C, dated twelve January 1968. The document is notable because it details a planned aerial reconnaissance flight over the coastal air‑defense zones of the People’s Republic of China during a period of heightened Cold War tension.
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 Evaluation Of Proposed Excised Mission C‑038c

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