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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.

  • p. 9 …The struggle between the CIA and the US Air Force to control the U-2 and…
  • p. 72 …2 missions. Access to the photographs taken by the U-2 would be strictly controlled, which…
  • p. 73 …This pact gave the Air Force responsibility for pilot selection and training, weather information, mission plotting…
  • p. 81 …Before the start of a mission, the ground crew set the counters to indicate the total…
  • p. 96 …All of the products from this project would be placed in the new control sys tem…
  • p. 100 …This was an S-band radar used by Soviet forces for early warning and ground-controlled…
  • p. 113 …The President nevertheless maintained tight control over the program and authorized only 10 days of overflights…
  • p. 128 …following day, when the next U-2 mission f m the Middle East. After quickly developing…
  • p. 140 …Welzenbach (S); Mission folder 4020 ( 18 March 1957), OSA records, job 67-B-972, box 7…
  • p. 142 …where they would not interfere with the control surfaces. At the ends of these poles, completely…
  • p. 147 …To take ad vantage of these weaknesses, Detachment C staged three missions from Alaska into the…
  • p. 156 …After these missions, penetrat ion overflights became a rarity. There would be only six more during…
  • p. 167 …U-2 missions. To handle U-2 material, the British created a new control system, which…
  • p. 168 …The British missions would be operationally controlled by CIA project headquarters. Soon afterward four British pilots…
  • p. 169 …where the United Kingdom carried out 27 missions during the two years its pi lots took…
  • p. 170 157 Sec, et MOF'ORI\I Chapter 3 May 1959, and used to fly weather missions…
  • p. 180 …The excellent photography from tnis mission did not reveal a single missile site, but analysts diid…
  • p. 188 …some Soviet airborne-missile fire-control systems. Operation GRAND SLAM, mission 4154 and the 24th deep…
  • p. 191 …key project personnel assembled in the Agency control center that morning (with the exception of Bissell…
  • p. 196 …in cor respondence with Abel's "wife., (probably his Soviet control) in East Germany. In November…
  • p. 204 …in .the DDP in order to maintain control of his overhead reconnais sance projects (the U…
  • p. 220 …Strongly favoring Air Force control of the U-2 missions over Cuba. the DOD representatives called…
  • p. 237 …In reality, however, the United States would maintain strict control over the missions to be flown…
  • p. 335 …The flood of information that the U-2 missions gathered led to a major expansion of…
  • p. 340 …In 1959 Bissell became Deputy Director for Plans but kept the reconnaissance projects under his control…
  • p. 348 …System-I used S- and X-band ELINT receivers to collect ground-controlled intercept and air…
  • p. 400 387 Sec1 et NOFORN mission 2023 108 mission 2029 124 mission 3086 200 mission 3088 200…
215
Sec, et NOFOAN
Chapter 5
wanted no more part of it. The US Government rapidly withdrew its
support, and the remaining remnants of the rebellion collapsed. Four
years later, the Indonesians freed Pope after Attorney General Robert
Kennedy personally appealed to President Sukarno.
When the revolt ended, the U-2s returned to Atsugi. On the way
back, one of the planes, which was equipped with a System-Y elec
tronic intelligence unit, flew along the coast of China to gather data
on Communist Chinese radars. '5
China Offshore Islands Dispute of 1958
During the summer of l 958, tension between the People's Republic of
China and Nationalist China (Taiwan) increased to such an extent that
on 18 June Detachment C mounted a U-2 mission to film the Chinese
mainland coast and adjacent island areas. On 11 August, People's
Liberation Army (PLA) artillery began bombarding the offshore
islands of Quemoy and Little Quemoy, where the Nationalists had
stationed large numbers of troops to ward off any invasion. On 23
~!,!gust the Communists increased the shelling. After five days of
intense bombardment, which made resupply of the islands from
Taiwan impossible, the PLA commander ordered the Nationalist
garrisons to surrender, intimating that an invasion was imminent.
The Nationalists refused to surrender and received support from
the United States in the form of warships from the 7th Fleet, which
began escorting Nationalist ships carrying supplies to the beleaguered
garrisons.
During this period, Detachment C U-2s flew four missions over
the mainland, searching for troop movements that would indicate that
the PRC was planning to invade the islands. Photos from these mis
sions showed no evidence of a PRC buildup, but the atmosphere in
the region remained tense. Detachment C U-2s flew two more mis
sions (9 September and 22 October) to monitor PRC troop move
ments and again found no indications of preparations for an invasion.
The Offshore Islands Crisis receded in late October 1958 after the
PRC learned that it would not receive support from the Soviet Union
if the crisis escalated into a confrontation with the United States. "6
" Mission folder 1773, (10 June 1958), OSA n:cords, job 67-B-328, box 7 (TS
Codeword): OSA History, chap. 15, pp. 25-26 (TS Codeword).
,. OSA History. chap. 15, p. 27 (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.