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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. 24 …April 1954. Lo.:khec:d Corporation. Advanced Devdopmcnt Projec:ts Divi~ion. Burbank. California. Sec,et
  • p. 58 …Pedlow, Burbank, California, 26 August 1988. 6eeret 11
  • p. 85 …how to transfer Lockheed employees from Burbank to Area 5 l without arousing a great deal…
  • p. 273 …SP-1362, "History of the OXCART Program," Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, CA. I July 1968, p…
  • p. 287 …designed trailer truck that carried it from Burbank to Area 5 I. By 18 November 1959…
  • p. 296 …not test the OXCART aircraft at its Burbank facility, where the runway was too short and…
  • p. 297 …Construction began in September 1960; a C-47 shuttle s,ervice ferried work crews from Burbank…
  • p. 299 …The plane left Burbank on 26 February 1962 and arrived at Area 51 two days later…
  • p. 304 …into the engine nacelles during assembly at Burbank were sucked into the power plant during initial…
  • p. 372 …293 BUORL 22 Burbank. California 45 &eeret NOFe"N Index Burke. William 168 120 114 Byeloruss1a…
See, et NOFORN
Appendix D
337
APPENDIX D
U-2 Overflights of the Soviet Union,
4 July 1954-1 May 1960
Date Mission Pilot Airfield Unit Payload Route
4 July 1956 2013 Stockman Wiesbaden A A-2 East Germany, Poland, Minsk,
Leningrad, Estonia, Latvia, Poland
5 July 1956 2014 Vito Wiesbaden A A-2 East Germany, Warsaw, Minsk,
Moscow, Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania, Poland
9 July 1956 2020 Knutson Wiesbaden A A-2 East Germany, Poland, Minsk,
Poland
9 July 1956 2021 Overstreet Wiesbaden A A-2 Czechoslovakia, Vienna, Hungary,
L'vov, Kiev, Minsk, Poland
• 10-July 1956 2024 Dunaway Wiesbaden A A-2 Poland, Kishinev, Kerch•.
Sevastopol', Simferopol'. Odessa.
Romania. Hungary
20 November 1956 4016 Powers Adana B A-2 Iran, Yerevan, Baku. Astara,
Caucasus
18 March 1957 4020 Cherbonneaux Adana B Sys-V Soviet border to Afghanistan,
Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia
20 June 1957 6005 Rand Eielson C B Khaylyulya. Ust'-Kamchatsk,
Kozyrevsk, Karaganskiy-Ostrov
5 August 1957 4035 Edens Lahore B B Afghanistan, Tashkent, Tyuratam,
Kazalinsk, Aral Sea
11 August 1957 4039 McMurray Lahore B B Alma-Ata. Ust' -Kamenogorsk,
Sinkiang
21 August 1957 4045 Snider Lahore B A-2 Novokuznetsk, Tomsk
21 August 1957 4048 Jones Lahore B A-2 Lake Balkhash, Karaganda, Omsk.
Alma-Ata
Saa,et

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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.