It was first released in 2009, with numerous redactions. But then in August 2019, The Black Vault filed a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) to get it reviewed. The result, as received in June of 2022, was that many redactions were lifted, but clearly, not all.

Document Archive

Soviet Forces for Intercontinental Attack, 26 October 1972 [99 Pages, 27MB]

The post Soviet Forces for Intercontinental Attack, 26 October 1972 first appeared on The Black Vault.

The Black Vault first filed for the below document in November of 2015, with the DIA. The request was given a “no records” response. A new request to DTIC was filed in 2016. That request was forwarded to the DIA, seemingly just in a full circle. At that time, The Black Vault was told the document was attached to the forwarded request, and from 2016 through September of 2022, the document was processed, then released.

It is now available below after a near 7 year effort to get it.

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Review of the Soviet Ground Forces, August 1983 – DDB-1100-418-83 [56 Pages, 5MB]

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The post Review of the Soviet Ground Forces, August 1983 – DDB-1100-418-83 first appeared on The Black Vault.

The monograph reviews the current status of both the Russian and Chinese arsenals and lists the programs that are being undertaken to modernize and improve their respective nuclear capabilities. Both nations are taking significant steps to preserve and improve their nuclear strike capability.

The proliferation of nuclear weapons technology, fissile material. and ballistic missiles in the third world is an emerging threat to national security interests, The lack of appropriate security measures during the on-going dismantling of the former Soviet nuclear arsenal presents an opportunity for “rogue” states and terrorist organizations to readily obtain the materials to produce their own nuclear weapons.

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The Nuclear Threat in the Post Cold-War Era, May 1995 [51 Pages, 2.2MB]

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The post The Nuclear Threat in the Post Cold-War Era, May 1995 first appeared on The Black Vault.

It was received via FOIA Case 1511152-000 by The Black Vault, in a case filed in December of 2021.

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FBI File: Contacts Between Representatives of the Soviet Union and Members or Staff Personnel of the United States Congress, 1964-1972 [804 Pages, 30MB]

The post FBI File: Contacts Between Representatives of the Soviet Union and Members or Staff Personnel of the United States Congress, 1964-1972 first appeared on The Black Vault.

For more than four years, a Wikileaks document within their “Global Intelligence Files” has sparked much controversy. This record, listed as being from the Department of State Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, held the title, “REPORT THAT UR DESTROYED SECRET US BASE ON MOON.” But, no digital copy could be downloaded, since an electronic version was not available. Now, two years after the first request was filed, The Black Vault was able to get the actual document released officially through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in its entirety.

Since this record was first posted in the Wikileaks database and discovered by those who peruse the site, much speculation has circulated about what it truly meant. However, now that it is revealed, it shows that it was simply a response letter to a 1979 inquiry by the then, House of Representatives member Samuel Devine.

Per the response letter sent to Devine, Douglas J. Bennett, Jr., Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations with the State Department, had responded to Devine stating there was no truth the rumor the Soviet Union “destroyed a secret US base on the moon in 1977.” Clearly, Devine had received a letter from a constituent by the name of Ceyd Quentin Arbogast, who asked about what he referred to as the “Battle of the Harvest Moon.”

The Black Vault’s FOIA request was first sent to the State Department in 2019 (case F-2020-01231). After some time, it was then recommended it be filed to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) where the document was more likely to be held given the timeframe it was from. After a new case was filed (case #21-49400), it was found, reviewed, and released to The Black Vault in full on September 8, 2021.

###

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(The below image is high resolution. If you are having trouble reading, simply click on the image, or CLICK HERE to download.)

The post Mystery Behind Wikileaks and the “Secret US Base on Moon” Destroyed By the Soviet Union Solved first appeared on The Black Vault.

The purpose of this bibliography is to provide a guide to Soviet publications on optical phenomena in the atmosphere. It is based mainly on publications available in the Library of Congress . Special consideration has been given to publications of the last five years [from 1960], but several earlier works have also been included.

Document Archive

Phenomena in the Atmosphere – Optical Phenomena, September 1960 [58 Pages, 23MB]

The post Phenomena in the Atmosphere – Optical Phenomena, September 1960 first appeared on The Black Vault.

In 1958, the CIA completed the below report about its role in the event of a nuclear war.

The Black Vault saw references to this document in other declassified CIA documents, but not the report itself. In August of 2019, a FOIA request was filed to the CIA for the record, and in October of 2020, it was released.

You can find the report below.

Document Archive

Role of CIA in Nuclear War, 1958 [38 Pages, 12.5MB]

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Comments on Role of CIA in Nuclear War, 1958 [2 Pages, 1MB] – This document was released in 2000 by the CIA, which referenced the above report. It was dated 19 March 1958, and written by the Chief, Economic Research Area of the CIA. Name is unknown.

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The post Role of CIA in Nuclear War, 1958 first appeared on The Black Vault.

According to the abstract, this report studies the Soviet reaction to the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI).

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Soviet Views on Military Operations in Space, July 1986 [283 Pages, 8MB]

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The post Soviet Views on Military Operations in Space, July 1986 first appeared on The Black Vault.

This article was written for the CIA Studies in Intelligence. The author was Benjamin B. Fischer.

In August of 2019, The Black Vault requested a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) request on this document, which was previously released, though was redacted in many parts. The MDR was responded to in March of 2020, and did reveal some new information never before revealed. That part was the following paragraph, speaking about a 1981 KGB ‘esimate’ that had a drastic change on how the Soviet Union viewed itself  when contrasting to previous estimates created in the 1970s. This was the newly revealed paragraph (the full document is below it):

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The 1983 War Scare in US-Soviet Relations, Undated (circa 1996) [14 Pages, 7.5MB]

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The post The 1983 War Scare in US-Soviet Relations, Undated (circa 1996) first appeared on The Black Vault.

According to the summary of the memorandum:

“Three unmanned lunar launchings this year, together with other new evidence and further analysis, clearly indicate a continuing strong Soviet interest in lunar exploration. We still cannot state conclusively, however, that the Soviets are in a race with the US for a manned lunar landing. On balance, we have no basis for changing our earlier estimate that the chances are better than even that the Soviets will seek to accomplish a manned lunar landing ahead of or in close competition with the US. It remains possible nevertheless, that Soviet lunar objectives are less ambitious.”

Previously, this document was released before, with heavy redactions in paragraph 12. The original release was sent to the National Security Archive.  In March of 2019, The Black Vault requested a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) request to the CIA for a review of the record. Below, is the result.

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Soviet Intentions Concerning Manned Lunar Landing, 25 April 1963 [12 Pages, 4.2MB]

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The post Soviet Intentions Concerning Manned Lunar Landing, 25 April 1963 first appeared on The Black Vault.

During the administration of President Ronald Reagan, Project Truth was established to address President Reagan’s concerns about Soviet propaganda. The program was overseen by The United States International Communication Agency (USICA), which then became the United States Information Agency (USIA) in 1982; then official absorbed by the State Department in 1999.

They issued Soviet Propaganda Alerts, beginning in October of 1981. Below, you will find various issues declassified and obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

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• Soviet Propaganda Alerts, All Issued in 1985 [23 Pages, 11.3MB]

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The post Soviet Propaganda Alerts first appeared on The Black Vault.

On June 3, 1980, U.S. Command posts received a warning that the Soviet Union had launched a nuclear strike. It is believed that multiple launch crews for Minuteman missiles were given launch warnings, and bomber crews began manning their aircraft. What was bizarre, however, which clued operators in to it was a false alarm, is that there screens were showing 2, 0, then 200 incoming missiles. It turned out to be a faulty computer chip error which caused the panic, but it solidified the very short amount of time that the President has to make a retaliatory strike decision.

Originally, I filed a FOIA request to multiple agencies, most of which denied documents existed.  Then, the Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff responded that documents may exist at the National Archives.

My request was refiled there, and nearly two years later, I received a small amount of records pertaining to the incident. Another year thereafter, I received a second response from the National Archives, which were the final documents pertaining to this request. Both releases are available below.

They are available below.

Document Archive

 False Nuclear Attack Warning: June 3, 1980 – NARA Release #1 – [24 Pages, 5.8MB]

 False Nuclear Attack Warning: June 3, 1980 – NARA Release #2 – [14 Pages, 8.9MB]

The post False Nuclear Attack Warning: June 3, 1980 first appeared on The Black Vault.

HOMERUN was a secret US aerial reconnaissance operation against the USSR conducted between March and May 1956.

During that time RB-47E and RB-47H reconnaissance aircraft flew almost daily flights over the North Pole to photograph and gather electronic intelligence over the entire northern section of the Soviet Union. Project Homerun used 16 RB-47Es from the 10th SRS and five RB-47Hs from the 343rd SRS. 156 sorties were performed. On a typical RB-47H reconnaissance mission covering 5,984 mi (9,360 km), the aircraft would fly from Thule, Greenland to the Kara Sea to Murmansk and then return only to find Thule weathered-in, forcing the flight from the air-refueling/decision point near the northeast shore of Greenland to one of three equidistant alternates: Goose Bay, Labrador, London, or Fairbanks, Alaska. Five KC-97s at Thule were required to support this scenario. Two ground spares and one air spare insured two 20,000 lb (9,090 kg) fuel transfers at a distance of over 600 mi (965 km) from Thule. Tankers returned to Thule to refuel and again repeat the flight to intercept the returning RB-47H six hours later for another air refueling. When the Soviet government filed an angry complaint with the US government, the US government attributed the overflights to “navigational difficulties”.

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National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)

 Project HOMERUN Documents [398 Pages, 65MB]

The post Project HOMERUN first appeared on The Black Vault.

Cost as a Factor in Soviet Weapons Decisionmaking [9 Pages, 610KB] – Intuitively, one believes that cost ought to be a significant decisionmaking factor in the Soviet weapons acquisition process. If that is indeed true, then DoD decisionmakers should be quite interested in when, how, and to what extent cost shapes the outcome of the Soviet weapons acquisition process. However, interest alone is not enough. There must also be sufficient data available about the role that cost plays in the process. With these perspectives in mind, the authors undertook this project, under IDA’s Independent Research Program, aimed at: (1) ascertaining whether DoD officials were in fact interested in the impact of cost in shaping Soviet weapons choices, and, if so, where this concern might play in the U.S. decisionmaking process; as well as (2) identifying potential data to address DoD’s concerns. The project was limited to about six man-weeks of effort (split between two analysts). Hence, the results are necessarily modest. Nevertheless, this preliminary investigation revealed that there is interest in the topic and that data are available to address several significant issues.

Indications of a Soviet Particle Beam Weapon Program. I. High-Current Electron-Beam Propagation in Air [51 Pages, 7.6MB] – The note is the first in a series investigating, on the basis of evidence in Soviet open-source technical publications, the possible existence of a Soviet military program to develop charged-particle beam weapons and the probable history of such a program.

Indications of a Soviet Particle Beam Weapon Program. II. Pulsed Power Closing Switches, August 1981 [101 Pages, 2.5MB] – The note is the first in a series investigating, on the basis of evidence in Soviet open-source technical publications, the possible existence of a Soviet military program to develop charged-particle beam weapons and the probable history of such a program.

More Powerful than the Hyperboloid, 6 December 1967 [9 Pages, 610KB] – Many pre-World War II Soviet publications carried articles on the so- called death rays. More often than not, these articles, based largely on non-Soviet data, were pure science fiction. The few serious articles referred to deadly weapons using heat rays. The concept of weaponry changed drastically with the advent of lasers, which emit stimulated rather than thermal radiation. Mention is made of the use of lasers in multichannel communication systems, ranging of planetary surfaces, metallurgy, plasma diagnostics, biology, medicine, etc. The article also reviews Soviet contributions to the development of the laser.

Perestroika and Change in Soviet Weapons Acquisition [110 Pages, 6.0MB] – This report reviews two major issues. The first is the application of defense industry resources to civilian uses–commonly called conversion. This review places the ongoing process in a broader economic, organizational, and political context. However, since the process continues to unfold, often in unplanned ways, some guidelines are given for evaluating the shifting picture of Soviet behavior. The second issue involves the effects of contemporary weapons technology and complexity on the ability of the Soviet Union to design, develop, and produce military systems that meet the requirements of the military.

Soviet Science and Weapons Acquisition [61 Pages, 1.34MB] – The principal actors in Soviet science and weapons acquisition include the nine military-production ministries; the Ministry of Defense; the military and civilian science sectors; and two coordinating agencies–the powerful Military-Industrial Commission (VPK), and the State Committee for Science and Technology (GKNT). The military science, sector is defined as comprising the research institutes of the military-production ministries, and institutes directly subordinated to the Defense Ministry and the military services. The civilian science sector consists of the USSR Academy of Sciences, its Siberian Division, and the regional academies of sciences; the research component of the higher educational institutions; and the research establishments of the civilian production ministries. Soviet science organizations are marked by their separation–by administration, stage of R&D, and scientific field.

 Soviet View of Laser Weapons, April 26, 1974 [10 Pages, 6.1MB]

Soviet Weapon-System Acquisition [91 Pages, 6.1MB] – The Soviet Union has built the largest peacetime military establishment in history, a force whose size dwarfs any military establishment in the West. Only the combined efforts of the collective Western alliance can approach the Soviets’ armament effort. The Soviet Union, in support of its military goals, has dedicated a larger share of its natural and industrial resources year after year to the production of military weapons than has any other country in peacetime. Research was undertaken to ascertain if the Soviet methodology of transitioning a weapon into production and subsequent manufacturing management differed significantly from United States practice and, if so, whether there were aspects of the Soviet methodology that could be usefully applied in managing U.S. weapons in the production/engineering and deployment to manufacturing stages. The document also reviews Soviet policies for logistical support of equipment.

Soviet Weapons Development and the Scientific Community, 31 Jan 1985 [36 Pages, 1.9MB] – Topics include: Development of the Soviet T-34 Tank, Organizations in Soviet Weapons R/D and Science, Soviet Weapons Acquisition Process, Characteristics of Soviet Weapon Design, Science Ties to the Soviet Military, Types of Linkages between Science and the Military, Nature of Scientific Support, and The Three Components of Soviet Military R/D.

The post Former Soviet Union Advanced Weaponry first appeared on The Black Vault.

Space – A Collection of Articles [109 Pages, 12.1MB]

The following foreign intelligence papers were received from the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) and were housed at the Foreign Technology Division (FTD) of Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB).

It consists of early 1960s intelligence, of papers written by Soviet scientists, in regards to space related questions, such as, interstellar travel, extraterrestrial civilizations and planet atmospheres.

The papers included in this release were:

Interstellar Flights, by K. P. Stanyuk ovich and V. A. Bronshten

Creation of Habitable Medium in Future Space Flights of Man, byA. A. Nichiporovich

Astronautics and Extraterrestrial Civilizations, by V. I. Krasovskiy

Problems of Interstellar Communication, by G. Kokkori and F. Morrisons

Study of Interplanetary Gas and Ionospheres of Planets With the Help of Traps of Charged Particles, by K. I. Gringauz

I received these under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and archive them here for reference.

Declassified Documents

Space – A Collection of Articles [109 Pages, 12.1MB]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/space/AD0608184.pdf

The post Space – A Collection of Soviet Papers from the Early 1960s first appeared on The Black Vault.

The following is based on the introduction in the document:

The insatiable desire of the Soviet Union for intelligence of an almost unbelievable scope and nature supplies the basis for this monograph. The range of intelligence targets in the United States indicated by the Soviets is, on the one hand, information vital to the security of the United States and, on the other hand, information of perhaps some domestic value to the Soviet Union, but not remotely connected with the actual security of the United States. Between these divergencies we find a large volume of targets that defy absolute classification in these two categories due to the lack of information from the Soviets indicating the specific need to be fulfilled by each target.

This study revealed that known or tentatively identified Soviet Intelligence Service agents operating in the United States were engaged in developing intelligence regarding specific targets, but were also in most instances, to a somewhat lesser degree, collecting information identical in nature and source with individuals or organizations representing the Soviet Union in other capacities.

A review of intelligence target material developed by investigations of the Federal Bureau of Investigation revealed that regardless of the means employed to collect intelllgence and regardless of the categorical topics of these targets, there appeared to be two logical classifications for consideration. The first classification, which is discussed generally in Partl, involves the mass collection of intelligence of a wide scope and/or of a general nature. The magnitude of material collected within this first classification suggests that the Soviets collect a broad sampling of our knowledge for possible refinement into specific or primary intelligence targets.

The second logical classification of intelligence targets appears to include those targets that are refined to specific or primary targets, and in this way indicates more specific Soviet Intelligence interests in the United States~ As this phase of the study suggests more of a practical application to security and counterintelligence investigations, the material in this classification will be discussed comprehensively in Part II of this study. It is not the purpose of this monograph to consider operational techniques of Soviet Intelligence as a subject for study, except as they apply to the definition of Soviet Intelligence target.

Soviet Intelligence Targets in the United States, 1946-1953

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The post Soviet Intelligence Targets in the United States, 1946-1953 first appeared on The Black Vault.

They are listed from the newest to the oldest.

Acquisition Management in the U.S. Air Force and Its Predecessors, 1997 [66 Pages]

 Air Combat Command (ACC) and the Legacy of the Cold War, December 1995 [3,228 Pages, 124.91MB] – The end of the Cold War in 1989 brought with it a restructuring of the Department of Defense. The ACC came into existence on June 1, 1992, incorporating assets from the Strategic Air Command (SAC), Tactical Air Command (TAC), and Military Airlift Command (MAC). During the Cold War, SAC and TAC had the primary responsibility of enforcing United States policies around the world through the deployment of air power, especially to contain and deter communism. Air Defense Command (ADC; renamed Aerospace Defense Command in 1968) and SAC had the primary responsibility for deterrence and air defense of the continental United States; TAC supported this mission. The bulk of the USAF ACC real property holdings are related to SAC, ADC, and TAC activities. Although the USAF missile program was transferred to the United States Space Command, under the operational authority of the North American Aerospace Defense Command in July 1993, the missile fields remain under the administration of ACC through the individual bases.

 The Crowded Path to Unlimited Soviet Arsenals, September 21, 1994 [ 157 Pages, 4.89MB ] – What Soviet Party Leaders, General Staff, and Industrialists Thought They Were Doing in the Cold War. This volume contains much of the raw material on which this study is based. All items in this collection represent the testimony, in some form, of Soviet and American strategic planners and analysts whose professional careers were largely dominated by the need to understand and respond effectively to the military threat from their Cold War opponents.

Richard Helms as Director of the CIA, 1993 [ 229 Pages ]

Stranger than Fiction. Soviet Submarine Operations in Swedish Waters, January 1990 [86 Pages, 4.3mb] – The Soviets have conducted submarine operations in Swedish waters continuously since World War II. Although the evidence of these violations of Sweden’s territorial waters is incomplete, Swedish authorities indicate that submarine operations were carried out infrequently and at irregular intervals during the 1960s and into the late 1970s.

Talking Points for the DCI, January, 1990 – Current Soviet Troop Strengths in Afghanistan.

Eastern Europe on the Eve of the Malta Meeting, November 29, 1989

VOX Topic Article, Volume 32, Fall 1989 [40 Pages, 10.7 MB]

United Loans to the Soviet Bloc, September 16. 1988

Soviet Acknowledgement of Budget Deficit, October 23, 1988

FBI File: FBI File 65-HQ-30092 [262 Pages, 15.8MB] – Released FBI File 65-HQ-30092 Telephone Bugging of Russian Embassy in 1940 Also mentions telephone bugging of the Embassies of Germany, Italy, France, and Japan.

The Gorbachev Era: Implication for U.S. Strategy — Speech by Robert Gates, Deputy Director of Central Intelligence Agency, October 14, 1988

 Studies on Soviet Combat Performance, 1 June 1977 [ 214 Pages, 8.1MB ] – The objective of this study was to analyse combat experience in World War
II on the eastern front, to attempt to detect characteristic patterns of behavior of Soviet military commanders and staffs under a variety of combat situations.
in order to acquaint United States officers with ~he decision making process of Soviet commanders, introducing them to the ways the Soviets think and act under combat pressure, so that they may b~ better prepared to estimate potential Soviet combat decisions and action.

Prospects for Further Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, August 23, 1974

Tactics (The Officer’s Library), 1966 [279 Pages, 26.2MB] – This book outlines the basic questions of the ground tactics of combined-arms combat in a missile and nuclear war. It presents the subject of tactics and its place and role in the military art and indicates the material basis of modern combined-arms combat, its character, and the most important principles of conducting it. Basic attention is allotted to the discussion of the content of offensive, encounter, and defensive combat.

Status of AID Project, as of 30 June 1964 [43 Pages, 5.10mb] – Document listing different periodicals and reference aids from the Soviet Union. Interesting titles. Still unclear where this intelligence might be.

The post Cold War Era – Reports & Records first appeared on The Black Vault.

Every effort has been made to provide as accurate a translation as practicable. Soviet propaganda has not been deleted, as it is felt that such deletion could reduce the value of the translation to some portion of the intelligence community.

Political and technical phraseology of the original text has been adhered to in order to avoid possible distortion of information.

 A History of Soviet Aviation and Cosmonautics, January 1965 [141 Pages, 8.2MB]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/coldwarera/AD491682.pdf

The post A History of Soviet Aviation and Cosmonautics, January 1965 first appeared on The Black Vault.

60528’s Last Flight

Cold War Reconnaissance and the Shootdown Of Flight 60528

Cryptologic Quarterly (Summer 1993) – The SIGINT on Thirteen Soviet Shootdowns of US Reconnaissance Aircraft

Intercept Crew of AFSS C-130 Aircraft Lost on 2 September 1958

Loss of US Aircraft

Shoot Down of 60528

Shoot-Down of a USAF C-130 by Soviet Aircraft on 2 September 1958

Shoot-Down of a USAF C-130 by Soviet Aircraft on 2 September 1958-COMINT Report

Shooting Down of US C-130 Transport Aircraft in the Transcaucasus

The Communicator-Dedication of the Aerial Reconnaissance Memorial

Audio Radio Recording of MIG Pilot Communications

• Audio Recording Part 1

• Audio Recording Part 2

• Transcript 1: Radiotelephone Transmissions-Russian PL
• Transcript 2: Radiotelephone Transmissions 2-Russian PL
• Transcript 3: Intercept of Russian Air Comunications

The post C-130 Shootdown (09/02/1958) first appeared on The Black Vault.