Documents / Official release
This is a Secret History Staff monograph by Gregory W. Pedlow and Donald E. Welzenbach of the Central Intelligence Agency, published in 1992. It gives a history of the CIA's manned overhead reconnaissance program from 1954 to 1974, covering the development and operation of the U-2 and the A-12 OXCART aircraft. It covers overflights of the Soviet Union, the 1960 downing of Francis Gary Powers, and later operations. One section is titled "U-2s, UFOs, and Operation BLUE BOOK."
From the source:Release of 2026-06-12 This CIA History Staff document chronicles the complete history of the U-2 and OXCART (A-12) high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft programs from 1954 to 1974, detailing their development, operations over the Soviet Union and other targets worldwide, the famous downing of Francis Gary Powers in 1960, organizational reforms following that incident, and the eventual transfer of operations from CIA to Air Force control. A more redacted version of this document has been available on CIA's public website.
“Headquarters”22 pages
Seeret NOFORP• Chapter 2 88 These positive results from Project GENETRIX did not outweigh the political liabilities of the international protesLS. CIA officials be came concerned that the ill will generated by balloon overflights could sour the Eisenhower administration on all overflights. including those by the U-2. which was just about ready for deployment. Therefore. DDCI Cabell wrote to Air Force Chief of Staff Twining in February 1956 to warn against further balloon flights because of the ..additional political pressures being generated against all balloon operations and overflights. thus increasing the di ffi.culties of policy decisions which would permit such operations in the: future." 73 In addition to its concern for tlhe future of the U-2 program. the Agency feared that President Eisenhower's anger at balloon over flights might result in the curtailment of the balloon program that the Free Europe Committee-a covert Agency operation based in West Germany-used to release propaganda pamphlets over Eastern Europe. AQUATONE BRIEFINGS FOR :SELECTED MEMBERS OF CONGRESS Although know ledge of the U-2 project was a closely guarded se cret within both the Agency and the Eisenhower administration, DCI Dulles decided that a few key members of Congress should be told about the project. On 24 February 1956. Dulles met with Senators Leverett Saltonstall and Richard B. Russell , the ranking members of the Senate Armed Services Committee and its subcom mittee on the CIA. He shared with them the details of Project AQUATONE and then asked their opinion on whether some mem bers of the House of Representati ves should also be in formed. As a resu lt of the senators' recornmendllttion that the senior members of the House Appropriations Committee shou ld be briefed, Dul les later met with its ranking members, Representatives John Taber and Clarence Cannon. Official Congress.ional knowledge of the U-2 pro ject remained confined to this small group for the next four years. The House Armed Services Committee and its CIA subcomrninee did not recei\·e a CIA briefing on the U-2 project until after the loss of Francis Gary Powers's U-2 over the Sov iet Union in May 1960.7 " " Philip G. Strong. Attachment 10 Mcmoran<llum for DCI Dulks...Projcct GENETRIX Summary." 15 Fcbruary 1956. OSI records (S)1. " John S. Warn.:r. Lcgislativc Counsel. McrnoranJum for the Rccord ...AQUATONE Bri.:tings:· 18 Novc:mbc:r 1957. Office of C,ongressional Affairs rci:onJs. job 61-357. box 2 (S): Wam.:r interview (S). Secr:et
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Official release, from the pursue 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.