WASHINGTON, Oct 18: The United States on Monday released 70 national intelligence estimates on China that date from 1948 to 1976, from the end of the civil war through the turbulent rule of Mao Tse-tung.

They were selected from some 240 national intelligence estimates produced during the period.

Among them are estimates on the outcome of the Chinese civil war, the implications of communist rule, China's intervention in the Korean war, the Sino-Soviet split, China's intentions during the Vietnam War and the Cultural Revolution.

Some had been declassified previously either in response to individual freedom of information requests or as part of voluntary releases by the CIA.

But it was the first time, the CIA has released a collection of declassified estimates devoted exclusively to China, according to the National Intelligence Council, the intelligence body that produces the estimates.

National Intelligence Council chairman Ambassador Robert Hutchings said the documents "represent a unique historical record of a formative stage in China's development."

"These documents were released to give scholars, students, and the general public insight into the history of United States intelligence and its impact on US foreign policy in this critical area of the world," he said in a statement.-AFP