In this analysis the quantum statistics of the received signal of a frequency modulated laser communication system are derived. In particular the detection statistics for heterodyne and electric field detection of the frequency modulated laser beam are determined. These detection statistics are used to define a measure of the communication system performance in terms of a signal to noise ratio. The development of the quantum electromagnetic field in terms of the photon annihilation eigenstates is the basis for determining these statistics. The derivation used accounts for fluctuations in the carrier, fluctuations due to background radiation introduced after modulation, fluctuations due to the local laser oscillator, and zero point field fluctuations. The results of this analysis indicate the probability distribution for the optical heterodyne detection is not a familiar one of classical communication theory, but it is of the form of probability distribution that satisfies experimentally measured photocount statistics of unmodulated laser radiation. The probability distribution for the electric field intensity detection of the frequency modulated laser beam is the familiar Gaussian distribution. (Author)