What did the declassified documents reveal?

US Intelligence on China: Secret Operations against China, January 9, 1970. Released through The Black Vault, this declassified CIA record details a sensitive operation against China in 1970. The document, originally classified, was released without a specific FOIA case number. The document is a letter from the CIA to the Honorable David Packard, Deputy Secretary of Defense, dated January 9, 1970. It is a 2-page document, and we will focus on the key content. Attention: SRORET, Dear Dave, As you have seen, our long efforts to establish contact with Peking have finally borne fruit, and agreement has been reached on a meeting between ourselves and the Chinese in Warsaw for January 20. We are, of course, anxious to avoid giving the Chinese any pretext of canceling or breaking off the meeting and will want to make the meeting itself as productive as possible. There are no IRC-approved operations that would bear on this except for a U-2 flight from Taiwan, which we have suggested to the CIA be held off for the time being. However, I suggest that during this period special precautions be taken with regard to Naval and Air Force operations that could give rise to incidents. I would think that our JBC rules of 50 miles from all Chinese-claimed territory for aircraft and 25 miles for naval vessels, except when approaching a Chinese port, should be followed. The Honorable David Packard, Deputy Secretary of Defense, Washington, D.C. Yes, sir. Of course. ASIAN SO, 78: ies, eee ag WS me an or departing from Hong Kong would be appropriate for the next few weeks. Simply, Alox UY. Alexis Johnson, CO: by, Henry Kissinger, The Honorable Richard Helms, Orie ival, 4 WH-200, Cop it, Packard Ave, Reseed, nT "1/9/90 (WP J-UA Johnson: elm eee es Context: The CIA's efforts to establish contact with China in 1970 were part of a broader diplomatic effort to normalize relations between the two countries. The meeting in Warsaw was a significant step in this process. This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. The document, CI01948, is available at storyflo.com, and its canonical PDF can be found at https://archive.org/download/us-china-intel-CI01948/CI01948djvu.txt.

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 Us Intelligence On China: Secret Operations Against China, January 9, 1970.

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US Intelligence on China: Secret Operations against China, January 9, 1970. Released through The Black Vault, this declassified CIA record details a sensitive operation against China in 1970. The document, originally classified, was released without a specific FOIA case number.

Date: AUG 6 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was CIA Us Intelligence On China: Secret Operations Against China, January 9, 1970. about?: US Intelligence on China: Secret Operations against China, January 9, 1970. Released through The Black Vault, this declassified CIA record details a sensitive operation against China in 1970. The document, originally classified, was released without a specific FOIA case number.
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 Us Intelligence On China: Secret Operations Against China, January 9, 1970.

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