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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. 18 …Leghorn persuaded his superiors to submit his suggestion to the Pentagon for funding. He had not…
  • p. 20 …Meanwhile Leghorn, frustrated by the rejection of his original concept, had transferred to the Pentagon in…
  • p. 22 …become the assistant director of Lockheed's Advanced Development Program, was in the Pentagon on business…
  • p. 24 …for the construction and maintenance of 30 aircraft to a group of senior Pentagon official s…
  • p. 26 …He had been present at Kelly Johnson's presentation on the CL-282 at the Pentagon…
  • p. 27 …with Strong in the Pentagon on 12 May 1954, six clays before the Wright Air Deve…
  • p. 52 …Late on the morning of 2 December 1954, Dulles told Bissell to go to the Pentagon…
  • p. 91 …He then briefed a high-level Pentagon panel that included the Secretary of the Air Force…
  • p. 92 …After a half hour passed, the base commander called the Pentagon to ask where the crippled…
  • p. 225 …By 25 September 1957, the National Security Council had become concerned with the course of events…
  • p. 251 …Early in 1963 the Agency sought special funds from the Pentagon to de velop a high…
  • p. 363 …CIA and Pentagon Covert Operations Since World War fl. New York: William Morrow, 1986. ---. The Soviet…
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Sec, et NO!iORN
Chapter 5
Charbatia was still not ready in early 1964, so on 31 March 1964
Detachment G staged another mission from Ta Khli. The first mission
out of Charbatia did not take place until 24 May 1964. Three days
later Prime Minister Nehru died, and further operations were post
poned. The pilots and aircraft left Charbatia, but other equipment re
mained in place to save staging costs. In December 1964, when
Sino-Indian tensions increased along the border, Detachment G re
turned to Charbatia and conducted three highly successful missions,
satisfying all of COMOR's requirements for the Sino-Indian border
region. By this time, however, Ta Khli had become the main base for
Detachment G's Asian operations, and Charbatia served merely as a
forward staging base. Charbatia was closed out in July 1967.50
Increasing Responsibilities, Inadequate
Resources in Asia
The main focus of Agency U-2 activity in Asia remained the U-2s of
Detachment H on Taiwan. In March and April 1963, the USIB met to
consider COMOR proposals for aerial reconnaissance of Laos, North
__Vietnam, North Korea, and the People's Republic of China. All of
COMOR's intelligence requirements could best be met by the U-2 be
cause heavy cloud cover made it difficult to obtain satellite photogra
phy of the region. At the 28 May 1963 meeting of the Special Group,
DCI McCone requested authorization for a series of overflights to
meet these requirements and stressed the need for additional intelli
gence on the atomic energy facilities of the PRC. The Special Group
then established a "bank" of four authorizations for overflights of the
PRC, subject to monthly review by the Group.51
As a result of the increasing intelligence community interest in
the Far East, both Agency U-2 detachments became very active in the
region. Detachment G conducted a number of missions over the bor
der areas of China, North Vietnam, and Laos during April and May of
1963. At the same time, Detachment H became more adventurous,
sending U-2s deeper and deeper into the PRC. These missions in
cluded renewed overflights of the missile test range near Baotou and
the Lan-chou nuclear facilities, as well as targets in northern China,
Manchuria, and west-central China (as far as Koko Nor).
" OSA History. chap. 16, pp. 30-3-1 (TS Codeword).
" Lay, "USIB History," vol. 3, pp. 391-392 (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.