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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 166 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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Sect et NOFOfU'~
Chapter 3
Abdel Nasser overthrew the Government of Iraq and assassinated the
royal family. Long concerned by the growing influence of Nasser,
who had close ties to the Soviet Union and now headed both Egypt
and Syria in the new United Arab Republic. President Eisenhower de
cided that US intervention was necessary to stabilize the situation in
Lebanon and to show Nasser that the United States was willing to use
force to defend its vital interests in the region. Before intervening in
Lebanon, the United States consulted with the United Kingdom,
which also decided to intervene in the Middle East by sending para
troopers to assist the Government of Jordan on 17 July.
With US Marines and Army troops deployed in a potentially
hostile situation in Lebanon, US military commanders and intelli
gence community analysts immediately requested tactical reconnais
sance flights to look for threats to the US units and evidence that
other Middle Eastern countries or the Soviet Union might be prepar
ing to intervene. The U-2s of Detachment B in Turkey carried out
these missions.
Because tactical reconnaissance required an immediate readout
of-the films taken, the Photographic Intelligence Center (the new
name for the Photo-Intelligence Division from August 1958) quickly
reopened the film-developing unit at Adana and staffed it with lab
technicians and photointerpreters. Throughout the summer of 1958.
Detachment B U-2s brought back photography of military camps. air
fields, and ports of those Mediterranean countries receiving Soviet
arms. The detachment also kept a close watch on Egyptian-based
Soviet submarines, which posed a threat to US 6th Fleet ships in the
Mediterranean. In addition, U-2s flew occasional electronic intelli
gence collection missions along the Soviet border and over the Black
Sea without entering Soviet airspace. In late August, as the crisis in
the Middle East eased, the United States began withdrawing its
14,300 troops. It was not until 25 October, however, that the last
American soldier left Lebanon. 101
BRITISH PARTICIPATION IN THE U-2 PROJECT
Shortly after the withdrawal of US troops from Lebanon, a new group
of pilots joined the U-2 project. In November 1958, four RAF officers
arrived at Detachment B at Adana. thus beginning the United
Kingdom's participation in U-2 operations. The British had first
"" Ambrose, Eisenhower: Tlte President. pp. 462--473.
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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.