Documents / FOIA release
This is National Intelligence Estimate 11-5-61, Soviet Technical Capabilities in Guided Missiles and Space Vehicles. It was submitted by the Director of Central Intelligence and concurred in by the United States Intelligence Board on 25 April 1961. The estimate assesses Soviet surface-to-air, antimissile, air-to-air, air-to-surface, ballistic, ICBM, naval and space programs. It concludes that the first Soviet ICBM unit was probably operational around 1 January 1960. It also says there is no evidence the Soviets are developing offensive space weapons. It contains no UFO material.
TOP—SECRET 6 would complicate Western air defense problems. (Para. 97) Naval Launched Missiles 22. Submarine Launched. On the basis of analysis of observation reports and photography of Soviet submarines, as well as on statements by Soviet officials, we believe that two classes of missile carry- ing submarines are currently. operational. Both probably carry tht same missile, a 150 n.m. or 350 n.m. ballistic weapon with a CEP of one to two n.m. One submarine, the converted "Z" class, can carry two missiles; the other, the "G" class, can probably carry three or four. Neither can launch when fully submerged. We believe that the Soviets probably are developing nuclear submarines capable of carrying and launching ballistic missiles while submerged. We estimate that they could have available for initial deployment in the 1962-1963 period, a nuclear subma- rine carrying 6-12 ballistic missiles of 500-1,000 n.m. range. It is possible that the Soviets have elected to equip nuclear submarines with missiles of the type at- tributed to the converted "Z" and "G" classes, in which case a few could be op- erational this year. We believe that the Soviets are also developing a 300 n.m. supersonic cruise missile designed to be launched from surfaced submarines. This system could be operational this year. (Paras. 141-146) 23. Surfa&e Ship Launched. Two classes of missile launching destroyers are now operational with the Soviet fleets. They may employ either of two short range, cruise-type missiles, both of which are de- signed for use against ships. It is possible that a few cruisers may be modified to em- ploy either of these destroyer launched missiles as well as adaptations of land based surface-to-air systems. The So- viets also have operational a short range missile, guided or unguided, for use in patrol craft. (Paras. 135-139) Space Program 24. In seizing an early lead in space and following it with a series of dramatic suc- cesses, the Soviets have sought to bolster, both t home and abroad, claims of the superiority of their system. The USSR has sought to maximize the impact of its achievement with spectacular "firsts," on occasion timed to coincide with interna- tional political moves. Intervening shots appear to have been designed largely to provide data for these "firsts." While the Soviet space shots have collected scientific data, the scientific aspects a the program seem to have been fairly selective, and to a large degree applicable to the support of future Soviet space missions. (Paras. 147-148) 25. The importance which the Soviets at- tach to the space program is demon- strated by the assignment of leading sci- entists to its direction, by the wealth of theoretical and applied research being conducted in its support, and by the allo- cation of resources and facilities to its im- plementation. Space vehicles have con- stituted more than one-third of the total number of launchings from Tyuratam in the past 31/2 years. The impressive Soviet record now includes: orbiting of the world's first earth satellite and by far the ,. largest satellites; launching of the first vehicles to impact the moon and to photo- graph the reverse side of the moon; launching of the first vehicle to transfer from earth orbit to a trajectory towards a planet; orbiting and recovery of the only TOP SECRET
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 101 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.