Developed by the Chinese military and first issued in 1965. This particular pistol is photographed and described in the included article from the October, 1981 issue of "Combat Handguns". The article details the various design features of the pistol, and even more interestingly recounts how this very rare piece was acquired. The article states that the pistol was the property of Mitchell WerBell III. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of a Czarist cavalry officer from the Imperial Russian Army, WerBell could best be described as a spy, mercenary, arms designer, paramilitary trainer, and arms dealer. In 1942 he joined the OSS and served in China, Burma, India and French Indochina, carrying out secret missions as guerilla operative. After the war he briefly entered the corporate world with a PR firm, before eventually moving on to design firearms suppressors with his company - SIONICS. In 1967 he partnered with Gordon Ingram, inventor of the MAC-10 submachine gun. They incorporated WerBell's suppressors with Ingram's machine guns and attempted to market them to the U.S. government during the Vietnam War. His further exploits are quite literally too many to list, and read like something from a mercenary pulp novel, his was an incredibly fascinating life! The article itself states that while in Vietnam during the late 1960s, trying to market his designs, WerBell was apparently well known enough to warrant an attempted assassination. To quote the article "The assassin's intent was foiled, however, when WerBell effected a successful "trade" for the Type 64. After WerBell concluded negotiations with a simple .22 round that opened a "third eye" and gave the contract agent new "insight" into the nature of the barter system, he no longer needed the pistol and so gave it up". The Type 64 was designed as a complete integrally suppressed system as opposed to the more traditional method of modifying an existing pistol to fit with a detachable external suppressor. The integral suppressor uses a combination of wire mesh and rubber wipes/baffles to slow down, and cool the escaping propellant gasses. To further enhance its usefulness as a clandestine firearm, the breech block can be locked in place to prevent the simple blow back action from operating, and eliminating the sound of the action cycling. The pistol fires a relatively weak, proprietary 7.65x17 mm rimless cartridge, which when combined with the suppressor results in an estimated effective range of about 65 feet. Features an overall matte blue finish matching numbers (frame number over stamped) on the frame and slide, checkered grips, and matching numbered magazine. Includes correct Type 64 leather skeleton holster. The holster is also described in the included article. An incredibly rare clandestine pistol with an equally incredible backstory!