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.

  • 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…
355
Seeret NOFORN
Index
A
A-I camera
50
A-2 aircraft
262-263
A-2 camera
53, 77. 100, 104-105. 108
A-3 aircraft
263
A-II
268. 294
A-12
271, 273-274, 277-278. 28 I,
283-286. 289-292. 294-297, 299.
302-305. 307-311, 329
Abel. Rudolf
183, 332
Ad Hoc Requirements Committee
81. 114, 188-189, 332
Adana. Turkey
113
Ade11auer. Konrad
- 101
Adkins. Charles N.
342
Administration (East) Building
42
advanced antiballistic-missile (ABM)
139
aerial cameras
13, 31. 49. 329
aerial lenses
327
aerial photography
3. 13, 33. 49, 96, 119
aerial tankers
313
aerodynamic lift
248. 277
aerodynamic structural tests
274
aerodynamicist
342
Aerospace Corporation
328
Afghanistan
126. 170. 176. 189
afterburner plume
271
ailerons
47, 69
Air Research and
Development Command
5. 8
Air Staff for Intelligence
154
Air Weather Service
89. 94
air-cooled reactor
239
air-inlet system
291
air-to-air missiles
285,336
air-traffic controllers
72-73. 289
Air/Maritime Division (AMO)
73
aircraft carrier
145, 247, 250
airfields
82, 95-96, 105. 117. 153. 216,
221,226,317
airframe
5, 8. 10. 24, 26. 48. 56, 71,
105. 132-133, 248. 259. 274, 279.
286. 289
airframe contractors
259
airspace
3-4, 19. 127. 134. 142. 144-147.
152-153. 182. 231. 239,241,
303. 306. 318. 322
airspeed
I 6& 16 I gg ?35 .,.,
Alaska
133-134. 145. 316
Sec,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.