The Central Intelligence Agency and Overhead Reconnaissance; the U-2 and Oxcart Programs, 1954-1974

Taiwan on 14 December. Within the Agency the Nationalist pilots and aircraft were known as Detachment H, and they were based at the Nationalist Chinese Air Force Base at T'ao-yuan. One of the U-2s was painted with the Nationalist Chinese insignia, and the other was left unmarked so that it could also be used by Agency pilots as needed. The planes were maintained by Lockheed mechanics under contract to the CIA. The Agency attempted to maintain at least two U-2s in Detachment H, so lost or damaged aircraft were replaced from the Agency's inventory.

During 1961, Detachment H conducted training missions with both U-2s, and one Nationalist pilot was killed in a crash on 19 March. Although the detachment was ready to begin operations, the new Kennedy administration was not yet ready to authorize overflights of the PRC. In a 3 March 1961 meeting between State Department and CIA officials to discuss the possibility of such overflights, Under Secretary of State Chester Bowles noted that "the President was feeling his way on the international scene, and time was needed to evaluate the new Sino-Soviet posture with relation to the United States." $ ^{37} $ In July 1961 the USIB considered the possibility of conducting overflights of the PRC, but the State Department remained opposed.

By the fall of 1961, interest in overflights of the PRC was growing because of indications that the Chinese were making progress in nuclear energy and missile development. As a result, on 4 October

Detachment H U-2 at T'ao-yuan Airfield