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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 133 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…
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Seeret NOFOAN
Chapter 3
angered by what it depicted: an Anglo-French attack on Egypt. He
quickly called for a cease-fire ~and denied the United Kingdom any
further U-2 photographs of the Middle Eaaj
The l November mission over Cyprus and Egypt also photo
graphed Anglo-French preparations to invade Egypt. President
Eisenhower was informed of this impending invasion on Sunday, 4
November. On the following day, British and French paratroopers
dropped near Port Said at the north end of the Suez Canal. This action
prompted Soviet Premier Nikolai Bulganin to send messages to
France, Britain, and Israel warning that the Soviet Union was ready to
use force to crush the aggressors.55
Early on the morning of election day, 6 November, the
Anglo-French invasion armada arrived at Port Said and began landing
troops. Back in Washington President Eisenhower met with Allen
Dulles to discuss the deepening international crisis. Worried that the
Soviet Union might be poised to intervene in the war, the President
ordered Dulles to have the Adana-based U-2s fly over Syria to see
whether the Soviets were moving planes to Syrian airbases in
preparation for a strike against the forces attacking Egypt. The answer
to Eisenhower's question came much sooner than expected because
on the previous day a U-2 had already overflown Syria before making
a run across northern Egypt. The film from this flight had reached
Wiesbaden for processing and readout during the night. The results
were in the hands of the PARAMOUNT Committee by midmorning
on 6 November, while the President was motoring to Gettysburg to
cast his ballot. By the time the President returned to the White House
by helicopter at noon, Colonel Goodpaster was waiting for him with
an answer: there were no Soviet aircraft in Syria. Because of the
President's concern about possible Soviet moves, Syria was the target
of 14 additional U-2 flights between 7 November and 18 December
1956.56
The increasing reliance on Adana-based U-2s for coverage of the
Middle East during the Suez Crisis made it difficult for the
photointerpreters to supply timely information. When Detachment B
aircraft returned to their base at Adana, there were no film-processing
" Donald Neff, Warriors at Sue:-.: Eisenhower Takes America intv the Middle East (New
York: Simon and Schuster. 1981 ), p. 403.
'" Memorandum of Conference. 6 November 1956. Eisenhower Diary, Whitman File,
DDEL (U); OSA History, chap. 19, annex 120, p. 3 (TS Codeword).
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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.