Documents / FOIA release

(EST Pub Date) Science and Technology in Communist CHINA Through 1970

Central Intelligence Agency · 1965-06-01 · 95 pages · text from the file's own layer

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.

  • p. 62 …Most of the in- crease in production achieved since 1960 has been obtained through fuller use…
1
..i
Approved for Release: 2018/01/30 C00659420
rcs 4425/as _IOP-see-R»|rr1 (b)(_3)
serious fungal and viral crop diseases have accom-
plished practical results, which have significantly
reduced crop losses.
172. China has very little good research in the
Canton, Shanghai, and possibly at Urumchi and
other locations. However, the current status,
amounts, and types of equipment at these branches
are not known.
animal sciences, but its very few co animal
"scientists have co '
0 the improvement of
t
i
'
, s eep, and poultry breeding stock.
Nevertheless, in China, the weak scientific founda-
tion and the feed and breeding stock will make
the development of the livestock industry extremely
slow. Significantly, China has adapted foreign
livestock practices to reduce disease incidence,
which has nearly eliminated some of the more
serious diseases.
10. Nuclear Energy Research
173. INTRODUCI‘ION——Tlf1e Chinese atomic energy
program began in the mid—l950s with Soviet aid
that continued until mid-1960. The aid involved
technical manpower, technology and some equip-
ment. Western unclassified literature also provided
valuable information. The Soviets participated
with the Chinese in geological exploration, min-
ing, and the design and perhaps the construction
of a uranium-metal plant. In addition, they prob-
ably provided plans and possibly some equipment
for the gaseous diffusion plant at Lanchou and for
the reactor facility at Pao-tou. The withdrawal
of Soviet aid in mid-1960 undoubtedly impeded
China’s atomic energy program, forcing the Chi-
nese to reorient their efforts to develop and pro-
duce, with little or no assistance, the varioous criti-
cal materials and equipment required.
174. Although research in nuclear physics was
being conducted as early as 1955 or 1956 by a
group of scientists within the Institute of Physics
of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China did not
officially announce the establishment of the Insti-
tute of Atomic Energy (IAE) until 28 ]une 1958.
The Institute was made subordinate to the De-
partment of Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry
of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Although
the administrative headquarters and some facilities
are located in the Chung-kuan-ts'un section of Pei-
ping, the major equipment and laboratories are
located near the suburb of T’o-li, approximately 19
nautical miles southwest of Peiping. The IAE
also has established branches throughout China in
such places as Lan-chou, Hsi-an, Wu-han, Ch’eng-tu,
34
\
"JP
(Ell?
(b)(1)
176. Other than the Institute of Atomic Energy,
many of the colleges and universities offer training
in nuclear energy subjects and undoubtedly would
support any Chinese efforts in this field by con-
ducting basic research in nuclear energy or associ-
ated fields. (See Nuclear Weapons Program, para
304)
(b )(
Approved for Release: 2018/01/30 C00659420
1

Not linked to a story yet.

About this file

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.