What did the declassified documents reveal?

The document we are hearing today is a declassified Central Intelligence Agency record entitled U.S. intelligence assessment of Soviet force structure in the Far East, part of the Commander‑in‑Chief Pacific Command History for the year nineteen‑eighty‑one, dated September thirtieth, nineteen‑eighty‑two. It is notable because it offers a contemporaneous view of Soviet military capabilities and deployments across the Pacific theater during a period of heightened Cold War tension. This record was released to the public through the online repository documents2.theblackvault.com. The material was declassified by the Central Intelligence Agency under its standard authority for historical releases. The Black Vault lists the file under the identifier CI02216 and made it available for download on the archive site, providing both the original text and a PDF rendering of the document. The document begins with its heading and distribution notice. It reads: “Top Secret – Commander‑in‑Chief Pacific Command History, Volume I, nineteen‑eighty‑one. Prepared by the Command History Division, Office of the Joint Secretary, Headquarters C‑I‑N‑C‑P‑A‑C, Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii, nine‑six‑eight‑six‑one. September thirtieth, nineteen‑eighty‑two. To: Distribution List. Subject: C‑I‑N‑C‑P‑A‑C Command History nineteen‑eighty‑one; promulgation of enclosures (1) Volume I, C‑I‑N‑C‑P‑A‑C Command History nineteen‑eighty‑one (2) Volume II, C‑I‑N‑C‑P‑A‑C Command History nineteen‑eighty‑one. 1. The C‑I‑N‑C‑P‑A‑C Command History is promulgated in response to the direction of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 2. This document contains information affecting the security of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title eighteen, United States Code, Sections seven‑nine‑three and seven‑nine‑four. Transmission or revelation of its contents in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law. The classified material contained within this document is to be treated with the utmost discretion. Under no circumstances shall possession thereof be transferred, or the information contained therein be imparted, to personnel other than those whose duties specifically require knowledge thereof. 3. The security classification indicated for each page of this document is according to the highest classification of any paragraph thereon. In those instances when the reverse side of a page is intentionally left blank, this is so indicated on the preceding page. All titles, headings, and captions in this history are unclassified. Individual entries in the table of contents and index are also unclassified. Both the table of contents and the index, however, are classified Secret in accordance with C‑I‑N‑C‑P‑A‑C Instruction five‑five‑one‑zero dot ten‑D of eight March nineteen‑eighty‑two, paragraph two‑two‑one, because collectively they reveal the scope of C‑I‑N‑C‑P‑A‑C interest and activity and reveal interrelationships that require classification protection. 4. This document will be…

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.

Central Intelligence Agency

◆ BLUF — The short version

S. intelligence assessment of Soviet force structure in the Far East, part of the Commander‑in‑Chief Pacific Command History for the year nineteen‑eighty‑one, dated September thirtieth, nineteen‑eighty‑two. It is notable because it offers a contemporaneous view of Soviet military capabilities and deployments across the Pacific theater during a period of heightened Cold War tension.

Date: AUG 3 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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Episode notes

The document we are hearing today is a declassified Central Intelligence Agency record entitled U.S. intelligence assessment of Soviet force structure in the Far East, part of the Commander‑in‑Chief Pacific Command History for the year nineteen‑eighty‑one, dated September thirtieth…

View the primary source document

Questions about this case

What was Central Intelligence Agency about?: S. intelligence assessment of Soviet force structure in the Far East, part of the Commander‑in‑Chief Pacific Command History for the year nineteen‑eighty‑one, dated September thirtieth, nineteen‑eighty‑two. It is notable because it offers a contemporaneous view of Soviet military capabilities and deployments across the Pacific theater 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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