Documents / FOIA release
This is a CIA History Staff monograph by Gregory W. Pedlow and Donald E. Welzenbach, published in Washington in 1992 and approved for release in 2011. It covers the CIA's manned overhead reconnaissance program from 1954 to 1974, which developed and flew the U-2 and the A-12 OXCART. It traces the U-2's development, the overflights of the Soviet Union, the downing of Francis Gary Powers on 1 May 1960, and later operations. One section is titled U-2s, UFOs, and Operation BLUE BOOK.
“Cooper”7 pages
Sec Chapter 3 132 Wreckage of Article 341, 2 April 1957 CO5653421 UNCLASSIFIED E0129581.61d1W>1010<25Yrs (Si 12 April 1957 article in the Chicago Daily Tribune was headlined, -Secrecy Veils High-Altitude_ Research Jet; Lockheed U-2 Called Super Snooper." 76 Because of its large wingspan, an out-of-control U-2 tended to enter a classical flat spin before ground contact. This slowed descent and actually lessened the impact. If there was no fire after impact, the remains of crashed U-2s were often salvageable, as was the case with the wreckage of article 341. Kelly Johnson's crew at the Skunk Works used the wreckage, along with spares and salvaged parts of other crashed U-2s, to produce another flyable airframe for about The U-2's ability to survive a crash in fairly good condi- have been noted by the Development Projects Staff for consideration in its contingency plans for a loss over hostile territory because the equipment on board the aircraft could easily compromise the weather research cover story. The loss of one of Lockheed's best test pilots, as well as the pro- totype "dirty bird" U-2, led Kell y Johnson to suggest that Lockheed install a large boom at th Fadar test facility. Using the Accident folder, crash of 2 April 1957, OSA records (S). " Lockheed contracts, OSA Records (S). UNCLASSIFIED
Not linked to a story yet.
FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 406 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.