Documents / Official release

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 318 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…
305
raised the issue at President Johnson's "Tuesday lunch .. on 16 ~lay.
Helms got the President's approval, and the CIA put the BLACK
SHIELD plan to deploy the OXCART to the Far East into effect later
that same day.''0
The airlift of personnel and equipment to Kadena began on 17
May 1967, and on 22 May the first A-12 flew nonstop from Area 51
to Kadena in six hours and six minutes. A second aircraft arrived on
24 May. The third A-12 left on 26 May, but the pilot had trouble with
the inertial navigation system and communications near Wake Island.
He made a precautionary landing at Wake. where a pre-positioned
emergency recovery team was located. The problem was corrected
and the aircraft continued its flight to Kadena on the following day.
Before the start of the operation, the CIA briefed a number of
key US and Allied officials on the operation. Included were the US
Ambassadors and Chiefs of Station in the Phillippines. Formosa.
Thailand, South Vietna~ !he High C[:·:·::inner::_an_d_
Chief of Station on Okinawa: the Pnme Ministe 7
Thailand; the President and Defense Minister of t e _epu 1c~
China: and the Air Force chiefs of Thailand and the Republic of
China. All of these officials favored the operation.
By 29 May 1967, 13 days after President Johnson's approval,
BLACK SHIELD was ready to fly an operational mission. On 30
May, the detachment was alerted for a mission on the following day.
As the takeoff time approached, Kadena was being deluged by rain.
but, since weather over the target area was clear, flight preparations
continued. The OXCART, which had never operated in heavy rain,
taxied to the runway and took off.
This first BLACK SHIELD mission flew one flight path over
North Vietnam and another over the demilitarized zone (DMZ). The
mission was flown at Mach 3.1 and 80.000 feet and lasted three hours
and 39 minutes. While over North Vietnam. the A-12 photographed
70 of the 190 known surface-to-air missile sites and nine other prior
ity targets. The A- I2's ECM equipment did not detect any radar sig
nals during the mission, which indicated that the flight had gone
completely unnoticed by both the Chinese and North Vietnamese.
"Minnich. "OXCART Story." p. 25 (Sl.
Sec, et NOFOAN
Chapter 6
~eeret

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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.