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.
“Headquarters”18 pages
In-flight refueling of the OXCART CO5653421 UNCLASSIFIED 288 (0129581.6(d1111>10<25Yrs IS1 projects belonged to the Office of Special Activities, headed by Col. Jack C. Ledford, who now had the title of Assistant Director for Special Activities. These project management changes in the CIA had no immediate impact on the OXCART project because the air- craft was still in the development stage, handled mainly by the con- tractors. Moreover, a good deal of continuity was provided by officers who had served for a number of years with the U-2 program and were now involved with OXCART: the Deputy Assistant Director for Special Activities: Col. Leo ueary, the Air Force's project officer for the two aircraft; and John Parangosky, who oversaw the day-to-day affairs of the OXCART project. OXCART'S FIRST FLIGHTS With new sealant in its fuel tanks, the prototype OXCART was ready to take to the air. On 25 April 1962, test pilot Louis Schalk took — ar- ticle 121" for an unofficial, unannounced fli g ht, which was an old Lockheed tradition. He flew the craft less than two miles at an alti- tude of about 20 feet and encountered considerable problems because of the improper hookup of several controls. These were promptly repaired and on the next day, 26 April. Schalk made the official 40-minute maiden flight. After a beautiful takeoff, the air- craft began sheddin g the triangular fillets that covered the frame- work of the chines along the edge of the aircraft body. The lost UNCLASSIFIED
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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.