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. 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…
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.