URGENT REQUIREMENT FOR PRIORITY COLLECTION EFFORTS AGAINST KEY CHINESE COMMUNIST STRATEGIC MISSILE TARGETS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75B00159R000100180015-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 18, 2007
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: July 22, 1969
• Content Type: CABLE

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h(hMCRANI UM I6 R: I AD/DCt RI /China
Ul 3gC"9" Urgent t +equirex4erct; for priority
Collection Affortss Against Key
Chinese Co .s nist Strategic Missile
Targets
1. As you know, the Intelligence Comauaity it, now
faced with the task of preparing another eetiwate on Co -
auuist: China's strategic weapons program in the rear iuture
in response to a priority r uess:t fros the Preesidont'ss>
F *reign Intelligence Advisory Buard. However, the uncer-
tainties surrounding Chinese intentions and capabilities
in thins; critical area, which were reflected in the NIg
published on this sssubje et in Y bruaary, have not been
resolved in the interim and haves, in fact, grown even
larger and wore perplexing. A substantial level of activ-
ity has been noted in this program in recent onths, an;
so:se very significant events could occur while the estiate
is in preparation, including the initiation of booster
flight tests of the first-generation ICBM system. We
strongly reconnend, therefore, that all possible Actions
be taken in the relatively short: tirde remaining until the
NIg deadline in about said-Octobor tr axxitatze the intel-
ligence collection efforts against Chinese missile-related
targets.
K H itssions yroarar wed to be flown in the next four ontha.
2. Because the vast majority of inforsation on devel-
opments in China's strategic missile effort is derived fros=t
analysis of satellite phatography, wo believe that CQMIR X
should be made fully aware of the criticality of the probt'.;u
and give special consideration to insuring that the principal
iaaile facilities receive above-average coverage in those-
is ideally
suited for collection of data because (a) the photography
obt:a{nerd will be available for detailed analysis prior to
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NRO review(s)
completed.
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SUBJRCT: Urgent Requirement for Priority Collection
Efforts Against Rey Chinese Communist
Strategic Missile Targets
anal, preparation of the estimate and (b) it will be
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as'a. tfeattor o :r course provide more coverage China than NRO
has been thM case in the past. W o would further recc eud
that coverage of Chinese strategic; missile targets be given
a high-priority in all other met fens flown in this period,
even if only preliminary data is s.va i lablo prior to the
final approval of the estimate by the USIB.
3. In addition to the above actions, we also urge
that serious consideration be given to the initiation of
other types of collection operations which have the poten-
tial for producing critical information on the status of
the strategic weapons program in the near term. Specifi-
cally, we believe that the use of the U-2R overhead recon--
naisssance system against the huang--ch'eag--tzu Missile Test
Center (&CTriTC) would produce excellent results. We are
convinced that such a mission to capable of significantly
supplementing satellite photography of this extensive
installation, as well an providing valuable data on facil-
ities and activities there which are not readily obtainable
with the current satellite coverage of this target.
4. As far as we have been able to determine, the U--2R
has the following advantages over satellite photography in
providing coverages of the ETC:
a. it can be programmed to fly at tines when
weather conditions in the rangeetisad area are opttaun; poor
weather conditions have been a serious problem in this area
in recent months and have precluded obtaining high-resolution
coverage of critical facilities such as Launch C pieex a
b. the camera system carried by the U-29 is tech-
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SUBJE T: Urgent Requirement for Priority Collection
Efforts Against Rey Chinese Communist
Strategic Missile Targets
c. the U-2R flight plan can be programmed to get
a good look at the widely dispersed SCTMTC facilities which
are only rarely observed in satellite photograpby0 this
point particularly applies to the very critical instrumen-
tation sites believed to be associated with the forthcoming
ICBM flight test program
h. The attachment to this memorandum contains a list-
ing of specific Chinese missile targets which we believe
should receive special collection emphasis during the next
several months, together with a review of the significant
developments noted there recently. These targets are list-
ed in what we consider t
priority.
DAVID S. MWDUIN
Director
Foreign Missile and Space Analysis Center
Attachment:
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PRIORITY LI4TING OF CHIMbS COWI T bTRATRGIC
L3Ti ACTION
MIb, ILR FACILIT194 RURING C
hue cM'e tsu
because of poor weather and a Lrosptter1c can.,.
iition5 prevailing during each of the three passes a;vie
a. Launch Complex --This critical facility has
not been observed in good-quality
over the area *Luce then. However, the available Coverage
indtcatts that Pad B-i is probably approaching an opera-
tional status and could be used to support x lssiio launch--
ings in the relatively near future. Propellant storage
facility checkout tests have apparently already been con-
ducted. Construction of Pad B-2 appears to have progressed
at a steady pace in recent months, but the uuavailabilicy
of good-quality photography has seriously hindered efforts
to make a reasonable p+rtulation of the large vehicle which
we believe will be launched froa this facility when it is
c:oa plete.
b. Instrumentation bitss 17 and 18--These key
facilities are believed to be associated with the support
of firings from Complex B. The location of the sites to
the southwest of Cuaplex R, together with the orientation
of Pad B-?1, had suggested that extended-range ICBM flight
tests would be conductea hard impact areas in the Indian
ocean.
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facility is urgently required, together with repeat cover-
age of 6i eke 18, if we are t o as" some sort of meaningful
judgment in this respect in the fortheovaing estimate.
a. Possible New Mobile Instrumentation 5ite--1atr-
quality 99-4 photography oTi Toat enteer res~t"led 25X1
the presence of a possible new a*ebile--type no rus,ntstion
facility some 64 nautical wiles northwest of Complex $ and
nearly on a line with Instrumentation bite 17. It appeared
to consist of about 10 vehicles/pieces of equipment/teaapQ-
rary buildlngs~ 25X1
The t ising of the appearance of this facility, together
with Its geographical location, suggest that it way be
designed to assist in the wonituring of ICBM booster test
firings from Pad B-i in a generally westerly direction.
High-quality photography of this site is needed to determine
whether this hypothesis is valid. ILLEGIB
Peking Guided Missile ]Plant, Nanyuan:
The large vertical test tower originally constructed
at this facility in the 1962--64 period has probably been 25X1
used in both the Illam and first... +aneratissu ICBM develop-
went pro asss .
3. Hu--bus-hao-t *o ball Prove a.---- ----- or
flo d~-quality ohotogrsobg of this facility
indicated that construction of a second relatively large
horizontal static test Coil is in the final stages of con-
pietion. it also revealed the presence of four possible
rocket motors near the completed large test cell and pea-
athie nearby environmental conditioning building. The
appearance of those suspect motors could mean that static
testing activity has alr+teady begun or is about to begin.
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The size of the observed objects appeared to be compatible
with missiles in the RRRR category or even possibly with
the upper stages of an aR or second--generation ICBM.
Repeated additional high-quality coverage of Ru-bo-haO?'
is neeued in order to confirm or negate the essence of
rocket motors and attempt to determine Whether there are
any algae of static testing. Judgments is this respect
will have a direct bearing on estimates of the future
direction of the Chinese strategic missile effort involv-
ing cgapo$ite soli. =p xcsp ellcent system.
4. bhuava-ch'suz-tzu; Missile Test Conter
Launch Complex A- -i rected minsilea and/or ground
support oquipment of the type previously associated with
the system believed to be in the RRBR category have been
observed in generally r~or~-to_.fi aalit eatel !te h -
tv raph ;at COM lexs A
vet + nt an t i~rr c tctian
Pekin OUlded Missile
static testing of liquid-propellant engines will con-
tinue at this facility as the production and flight testing
of strategic missiles of various i ype+s progresses. The
observa t.ion of such engines in very good-quality high res-
olution photography would be of valuable assistance in
better estimating the technical characteristics of Chinese
liquid propulsion missile syste s. We have also observed
what appears to be a diffuser at the horizontal test cell
at Cb *aug--hstn-tten. The size of this object appeased
coopatible with the : evelopeeut of an upper Stage for the
MR. This could mean that preparations for a Satellite
launch attompt involving a modtf ted 111RU are making progress.
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