Documents / FOIA release
This Central Intelligence Agency release is a Scientific Intelligence Study, TCS No. 4425/65. The Scientific Intelligence Committee prepared it with other intelligence community committees and approved it on 3 June 1965. It assesses Communist China's capabilities in science and technology through 1970, with particular attention to military and industrial programs. The study concludes that China will lag far behind advanced nations. The exceptions are a few priority areas such as nuclear weapons, missiles and air defense. It contains no discussion of UFOs.
“The Advance”26 pages
tvfitt edible green alga, Chlorella, is good. There has been a significant growth in the scientific research force in this area and a comparable increase in the number of aquatic products institutes and re- search facilities in China. This research, how- ever, has not yet reached the advanced scientific stage of that in many Western countries. Based on increased support from its scientific and tech- nological sector, the Chinese fishing industry can be expected to develop at an accelerated rate dur- ing the next 5 years. 9. Agricultural Sciences 167. Chinese agricultural research has increased significantly, but as yet has contributed little to increases in the food resources of China. Increased emphasis given to the development of agricultural productivity has been evident since September 1962 when the 10th Plenary Session of the 8th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party gave first priority between agriculture and industry to the development of agriculture. The quality and quantity of Chinese agricultural re- search will probably improve as a result of this priority, but a lack of trained scientists and, to a lesser extent, facilities, and scientific equipment will limit the potential contribution of such re- search toward meeting China’s needs for increasing its food resources within the period of the estimate. 168. The most significant -Chinese agricultural research has been" in crop breeding. Chinese plant breeders and geneticists ‘have successfully bred improved rice, wheat, corn and other food crops that have significantly increased yields on experi- mental plots. The Chinese claim the successful selection of more than 400 superior varieties dur- ing the last 10 years. The majority of these varie- ties probably have been obtained through identi- fication and selection of indigenous local varieties, which were increased and distributed with little or no breeding work. A lesser portion was derived through the application of advanced crop breed- ing methods, primarily using imported genetic material. Many of the Chinese plant breeders are Western-trained and have kept abreast of modern plant breeding techniques. 169. Chinese research on the effective utilization of agricultural chemicals (chemical fertilizers, in- secticides, fungicides, and herbicides) is critically Approved for Release: 2018/01/30 C00659420 Tvhsscaer rcs 4425/as b 3 inadequate, even though agricultural chemicals, especially fertilizers, offer the greatest opportunity to increase China's food resources. Improperly designed and controlled experiments, combined with the generally poor quality of indigenously produced agricultural chemicals, have hindered the exploitation of the full potential of chemicals in food production. Although Chinese scientists have conducted good research in the soil sciences, their research on chemical fertilizer utilization is very limited, and fertilizer recommendations are based mainly on mass trial and error experiments. The Chinese will place increasing importance on chemi- cal fertilizer and pesticides, and their utilization should have a noticeable effect within 5 years. However, most of their agricultural chemical re- search will be directed toward the adaptation of foreign practices and recommendations. 170. Chinese entomologists have been engaged chiefly in adapting and implementing foreign con- trol practices to varied conditions of food crop production. Through ecological and life cycle studies on the migratory locust, the Chinese have brought locust attacks under control, and no dis- astrous outbreaks have occurred in recent years. Other important accomplishments include the iden- tification and control of insect vectors of plant diseases. Although insects are_controlled mainly with insecticides, the Chinese have successfully de- veloped biological control methods, using both insect predators and microorganisms. Most of the microorganisms utilized have been imported from abroad. The dangers of upsetting present ecology by the introduction of control insects are not in- vestigated. Research 'on preventive methods rather than control methods frequently is emphasized. These include cultural methods, reporting and forecasting systems, insect-free and insect-resistant seeds, and chemical destruction of hibernating in- sect pests. Entomological research has been geared to solving current problems, but Chinese researchers are fully aware of the importance of basic entomo- logical research. 171. Chinese plant pathology research directed toward the control and prevention of food crop diseases has not been impressive by Westem standards. The strengthening of traditional prac- tices, however, by the use of modern technology and the adaptation of foreign control methods for A 33 Approved for Release: 2018/01/30 C00659420
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 95 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.