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
134 Gee. et NOl'OFUQ Chapter 3 The search for a new home for Detachment C led the Agency to ask the Air Force in the autumn of 1956 for permission to locate the detachment at Yokota AFB, Japan. Because Yokota was already the base for one covert project (the very secret Air Force Project BLACK KNIGHT using RB-57s), Air Force Chief of Staff Twining did not wish to locate another one there and denied the reques t. The Agency then turned co the Navy, which granted permission for Detachmernt C to use the Naval Air Station at Atsugi, Japan. The Japan.ese Government received no notification of the proposed deployment be cause at that time it had no control over activities involving US mili tary bases in Japan. Deployment of Detachment C began in early 1957 but was complicated by a recent decision to permit the families of Project AQUATONE employees to accompany them on overseas tours. As a result, program managers had to find housing facilities on the base or in nearby communities, not an easy task in crowded Japan."" Detach ment C began conducting m1ss1ons in June 1957 alfter several aircraft and pilots flew to Eie lson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska. Air Force rndar order-of-battle reports and NSA studies had revealed that the radar network in the Soviet Far East, wi th antiquated radar sets and personnel of a lower caliber than those in the western Soviet Union, was relati vely ineffective. To take ad vantage of these weaknesses, Detachment C staged three missions from Alaska into the Soviet Far East. The first. on 7/8 June (the air craft crossed the international date line during the flight), was unable to photograph its target, the ICBM impact area near Klyuchi on the Kamchatka Peninsula, because of bad weather and, therefore, never entered Soviet airspace. A second attempt to photograph Klyuchi on 19/20 June was marred by a camera malfunction that ruined ev;ery third frame of photography. This flight was tracked by Soviet radars. but there was no attempt at interception. After a pause of almost three months during which Detachment C received a dirty-bird U-2, the de tachment's third mission over Klyuchi on 15/ 16 September 1957 achieved exce llent results. The radar-deception devices proved in1ef fective, however. as the U-2 was tracked by Soviet radar and trailed by five fighters.s' . , OSA History. ch.ip. l5, pp. 2. 16-19: chap. 16. p. I (TS Co<lcword). " Mission folders 6002 (8 June 1957). 6005 C!0 June 1957). and 6008 (16 September l 957). OSA records. job 67-8-3'.!8. bo.~ 7 (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.