This is a declassified Department of the Navy memorandum from the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, dated August fifth, nineteen fifty‑eight. The document lists the United States intelligence community’s priority coverage requests for Chinese coastal and inland targets, and it is notable because it provides a contemporaneous snapshot of the specific locations deemed essential for intelligence collection during the early Cold War. The source is archived at the Black Vault.
The record was released to the public on August twenty‑seventh, two thousand one, under the authority of the Office of Naval Intelligence. It appears in the Black Vault’s online collection, identified by the file name CI01292. The declassification notice indicates that the material was cleared for public release at that time.
The document reads as follows:
TOS £57 F‑5F cam, Approved for Release two thousand one, August twenty‑seventh. Classification: Top Secret. Department of the Navy, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington. In reply, refer to Op‑nine‑two‑two‑two‑I slash L‑J‑F. NINO W2‑SAS. TOWLNOD. See central instruction via TIGNWH. SECRET. HANDLE VIA TALENT CONTROL SYSTEM ONLY.
From: D‑N‑I Representative, ARC Chairman. Subject: Priority coverage; request for intelligence.
The following areas are considered of Category One priority and coverage is considered essential in order to gain the necessary intelligence:
Swatow North East and Swatow. Instructions on file. Lungehi. Liencheng. Canton complex, including Whampoa. Tachilaochang. Shanghal complex. Offshore island airfield. Neantat. Lungtien. Huan — Chingyang. Machlang. Kaoshi. Ports: Amoy. Foochow. Wenchow. Chuwanchow. Tinghal. Ningpo.
The following areas are considered of Category Two priority:
Hankow complex. Tsinsted complex. Port Arthur complex.
L‑A‑C‑S. W. M. Stavens, Captain, United States Navy. Reported by. TOP SECRET. HANDLE VIA TALENT CONTROL SYSTEM ONLY. Approved for Release two thousand one, August.
No additional contextual statement accompanies the memorandum from the issuing agency. The Office of Naval Intelligence’s release note simply affirms the declassification date and classification level.
This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. storyflo.com https://archive.org/download/us-china-intel-CI01292/CI01292_djvu.txt
