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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 237 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…
224
Sec.et NOFORN
Chapter 5
-SeeFet
wanted the Nationalists to be allowed to begin operations, reluctantly
agreed to wait until conditions were favorable.'"' The situation
changed radically in May 1960 after the loss of Powers' U-2 de
stroyed the existing cover story for U-2 operations. Now there was no
longer any reason not to use the Nationalist pilots. In addition, the
Agency soon found itself in need of a base of operations in the Far
East after Detachment C had to leave Japan.
During discussions with Nationalist officials on 6 May 1960, the
CIA's Chief of Station in Taipei, Ray Cline, raised the possibility of
assigning U-2s to the Chinese Air Force. Two weeks later, Gen.
Chiang Ching-kuo, head of the National Security Bureau, approached
Cline informally to propose that the U-2 aircraft based in Japan be
moved to Taiwan. This was followed three days later by an official
offer on behalf of General Chiang's father, Generalissimo Chiang
Kai-shek. President Eisenhower learned of Nationalist China's pro
posal on 18 June. Several weeks later, Richard Bissell suggested that
two U-2s be turned over to the Nationalists for use in overflying the
mainland. The project would be conducted along the lines of Project
STPOLLY. 35
On 26 August l 960, President Eisenhower and the State
Department approved Bissell 's proposal to tum U-2s over to the
Nationalist Chinese rather than move an American detachment to
Taiwan. Using Nationalist pilots for overflights had the advantage of
providing complete deniability for the United States, even if an air
craft was lost over hostile territory. The U-2s would belong to
Nationalist China and would have Nationalist pilots, and there was no
overt US involvement with the overflights. In reality, however, the
United States would maintain strict control over the missions to be
flown. 36
On 7 December l 960, two U-2s were officially licensed for ex
port to Nationalist China as part of a new effort codenamed TACKLE.
These planes came from the Agency's U-2 inventory and arrived in
'" Andrew J. Russo, Low-Level Technical Reconnaissance Over Mainland China
( 1955-1966) (draft), Clandestine Services Historical Program, CSHP-2.348 (CIA: History
Staff, 1972) (S).
'' OSA History. chap. 17, pp. 1-7 (TS Codeword).
'• Ibid., chap. 17. pp. 12-13, 44 (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.