Original Item: Very Few Available. We are offering an outstanding selection of unissued condition silk blood chits published by the Aeronautical Chart and Information Service of the U.S. Air Force in 1951 and marked as such on the lower left corner. They each feature an American flag and 13 languages including Persian, Turkish, Italian, Finnish, Serbo-Croatian, German, French, Swedish, Arabic, Greek, Polish, English, and Russian. They are marked RESTRICTED in two locations and are each stamped with a serial number with the suffix ‘E’, denoting use in Europe. Each chit measures approximately 15 ¾ inches by 9 ⅜ inches.

Each blood chit reads:
I AM AN AMERICAN. I DO NOT SPEAK YOUR LANGUAGE. MISFORTUNE FORCES ME TO SEEK YOUR ASSISTANCE IN OBTAINING FOOD, SHELTER, AND PROTECTION FROM THE COMMUNISTS. PLEASE TAKE ME TO SOMEONE WHO WILL PROVIDE FOR MY SAFETY AND SEE THAT I AM RETURNED TO MY PEOPLE. I WILL DO MY BEST TO SEE THAT NO HARM COMES TO YOU. MY GOVERNMENT WILL REWARD YOU.

The chits carry their 1951 Aeronautical Chart and Information Service publishing information at the lower edge.

The serial numbers terminate in ‘E’. This suffix is associated with the European XM-51-1 blood chit series. U.S. Department of Defense records specifically identify serial 28722E as an XM-51-1 (European) blood chit published by the Aeronautical Chart & Information Service, U.S. Air Force, in February 1951 and lithographed in April of that year.

There is some fraying of the silk along the edges of each chit, with very minor staining and fold creasing in spots. These are fantastic unissued examples. The printing remains sharp and the colors of the American flag remain strong.

The combination of the 1951 Aeronautical Chart and Information Service imprint, XM-51-1 European designation, individual E-suffix serial number, 48-star American flag, RESTRICTED markings, 13-language assistance message, and excellent surviving condition makes these particularly representative artifacts of U.S. Air Force escape-and-evasion planning during the opening phase of the Cold War. Get one before they’re gone!