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.
“Hill”15 pages
10 Secret ld0F8RN Chapter 1 Lockheed also submit a design. Carter noted that the proposed aircraft Designs for the Air Force would have co reach altitudes of between 65. 000 and 70,000 feet andcompetition for a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft correctly forecast, "If extreme altitude performance can be realiz:ed in a practical aircraft at speeds in the vicinity of Mach 0.8. it should be capable of avoiding virtually all Russian defenses until about 1960." Carter added, ··To achieve these characteristics in an aircraft which will have a reasonably useful operational life during the period before 1960 will. of course, require very strenuous efforts and extraordinary procedures, as well as nonstandard design philosophy." Some of the "nonstandard" design cnaracteristics suggested by Carter were the elimination of landing gear, the disregard of military specifications. and the use of very low load factors. Carter's memorandum closed with a warning that time was of the essence: " In order that this spe cial aircraft can have a reasonably long and useful l ife, it is obvious that its development must be greatly accelerated beyond that consid ered normal. .. 1•1 Lockheed's senior officials approved Carter's proposal, and early in 1954 the corporation's best aircraft designer-Clarence L. (Kelly) Johnson-began working on the project, then known as the CL-282 but later to become famous under its Air Force designa1tor the U-2. Already one of the world's leading aeronautical engirneers, Kelly Johnson had many successful military and civi lian designs to his credit. including the P-38, P-80, F-I04. and Constellmtion. Johnson quickly came up with a radical design based upon the fuselage of the F-I04 jet fighter but incorporating a high-aspect--ratio sailplane wing. To save weight and thereby increase the aircraft"s al titude. Johnson decided to stress the airframe to only 2.5 units of " Milkr. U1''kheed U-2. p. 12. -See,oc
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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.