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.
16 tern, the USSR could achieve a limited capa- bility to destroy such vehicles after they have made a number of orbits. This could prob- ably be accomplished from the Sary Shagan area in about 1963, against satellites with rela- tively low orbits. With an extensive effort, it might be accomplished sooner with a nu- clear-armed 700 or 1,100 n.m. missile launched on collision course from a test range if the orbital parameters were established. The pub- lished information on US programs probably will provide incentive for Soviet development of antisatellite capabilities. However, we do not believe that the USSR will have a system for destruction of satellites on their first orbit until the latter part of the decade.
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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.