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CIA-UAP-003, The Central Intelligence Agency and Overhead Reconnaissance; The U-2 and OXCART Programs, 1954-1974

Central Intelligence Agency · 1954 · 406 pages · text from the file's own layer

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.

Open the PDF at page 118 Original source ↗

“The Advance”34 pages

  • p. 6 …255 The Phaseout of the Office of Special Activities ........ ................... 257 0 ) Chapter 6 The U-2…
  • p. 7 …319 Advances in Technology............................................... ........................... 320 Cooperation With the Air Force ............................................................. 321 Impact of the Overhead Reconnaissance…
  • p. 22 …retired from the Air Force to become the assistant director of Lockheed's Advanced Development Program…
  • p. 24 11 / Chapter 1 gravity (g's) instead of the military specification strengLh of 5.33 g…
  • p. 32 …lithium deuteride, a tech nology more advanced than the heavy water method used by US '' BEACON…
  • p. 33 …between the developed and undeveloped nations. This aggressive Soviet foreign policy. combined with advances in nuclear…
  • p. 58 …secrecy in the new project, Kelly Johnson placed it in Lockheed's Advanced Development facility at…
  • p. 65 …His software algorithms made it possible to model lens designs and determine in advance the effects…
  • p. 76 …seen on pilot Francis Gary Powers) advanced gear for the U-2 pilots. David Clark expert…
  • p. 111 …of Soviet advances in long-range bombers and missiles. The initial sighting of the new Soviet…
  • p. 114 …Adenauer be informed in advance of US plans to overfly the Soviet Union from bases in…
  • p. 174 …concentrating on developing the more advanced solid-fueled missiles rather than increasing the num ber of…
  • p. 183 …if the Soviet SAMs received sufficient advanced warning, they posed a major threat to the U…
  • p. 191 …the cover story that had been prepared and distributed in advance of the mission. The first…
  • p. 206 …In 1965 the head of OSA received a new title, Director of Special Activities. The Office…
  • p. 235 …STPOLLY added the more advanced Lockheed P3A in 1963. Between 1955 and 1967, when the CIA…
  • p. 249 …The Defense Department feared that the loss of this device with its highly advanced traveling-wave…
  • p. 250 …Chapter 5 Advanced ECM Equipment for Detachment H Demand for overhead photography of the PRC continued…
  • p. 252 …In addition, the Project TACKLE U-2s began receiving even more advanced ECM • 60 equipment. •• Mission…
  • p. 265 …but some was the result of technological advances. The ini tial order for eight of the…
  • p. 266 …This camera was actually a very advanced version of the original B camera with a new…
  • p. 282 …aircraft from the small inventory of its most advanced bomber. Even had the B-588 program…
  • p. 295 …In fact, it was an advanced version of the highly reliable B camera developed for the…
  • p. 296 …Prospective pilots had to be qualified in the most advanced fighters and be emotionally stable and…
  • p. 307 …advanced experimental jet aircraft, the A-11. which has been tested in sustained flight at more…
  • p. 310 …It was now time to find work for the most advanced aircraft ever conceived and built…
  • p. 321 …advanced aircraft ever .built was to be put out to pasture. The aban donment of the…
  • p. 325 …when the OXCART program ended in the summer of 1968, no mcire advanced successor was wait…
  • p. 326 …The most advanced aircraft of the 20th century had become an anachronism before it was ever…
  • p. 333 …ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY One very important byproduct of the CIA's manned reconnaissance program was the…
  • p. 334 …the end of the usefulness of the world's most advanced aircraft; its offspring, the SR…
  • p. 335 …Thus, the CIA sponsored the development of the world's most advanced aircraft-the OXCART-and…
  • p. 352 …They believed that recent advances in the minia turization of electronic technology would make possible the…
  • p. 356 343 Defense Research and Engineering, John Foster, liked the concept and provided DOD funding for ORD…
105
the Soviet Union's submarine construction program. Mission 2013's
route also overflew a number of major military airfields to make an
inventory of the new Bison jet-engine heavy bomber.1s
The second overflight, on the following day, continued the
search for Bison bombers. Pilot Carmine Vito's route was similar but
somewhat to the south of Stockman's and also flew farther east, more
than 200 kilometers past Moscow. Although the Soviet capital was al
most completely hidden by clouds, the A-2 camera with haze filters
took some usable photographs of the city. These turned out to be the
only U-2 photographs of Moscow because no other mission was sent
over the Soviet capital. Among the key targets photographed during
mission 2014 were the Fili airframe plant, where the Bison was being
built; the bomber arsenal at Ramenskoye. where the Bisons weire test
ed; the Kaliningrad missile plant; and the Khimki rocket-,engine
plant.=0
When Allen Dulles returned to work on Thursday. 5 July 1956.
he asked Bissell if any overflights had taken place during the
Independence Day holiday. One had been made on the fqurth and an
other just that morning, Bissell replied. (Because of the six-hour time
difference, the 5 July flight was safely back in Wiesbaden by the
time Dulles spoke to Bissell.) When Dulles asked the routes of these
missions. Bissell told him that they had overflown both Moscciw and
Leningrad. "Oh my Lord." Dulles exclaimed, "do you thi1:1k that
was wise the first time?" "Allen." Bissell replied. "the first is the
safest." :,
President Eisenhower also wanted to know the results of the 4
and 5 July flights, but his principal concern was whether there had
been any indication that either flight had been discovered or tracked
by radar. Eisenhower told Colonel Goodpaster "to advise Mr. Allen
" Urban J. Linehan. Na1io11al Phowgraphic /merpretatio11 Center: The Years of Project
HTAUTOMAT. 1956- 1958. Directorate of Science and Technology Historical Series
NPIC-3. December 1974. 6 vols. (hereafter cited as NPIC History). vol. l, p. 20 (S):
Mission folder 2013 (4 July 1956). OSA records. job 67-8-328. bo,c 7 (TS Codeword).
Note on mission numbers: each proposed mission received a number. but not all of these
missions were flown.
'" NP/C History. vol. I. p. 21 (S): Mission folder 2014 (5 July 1956). OSA records. job
67-8-328. box 7 (TS Codeword).
" Bissell interview by Welzenbach (S).
Sec, et NOFOAN
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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.