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…
359
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121
Boston, M assachusetts
13. IS. 22. 24, 27. 52. 56.
110. 260
Boston camera
13
Boston University
22. 24. 52
Bowles. Chester
225
Brahmaputra Valky
231
bridges
82
Briggs School
42
Briglia. FrJnk
339
British and French fleets
116
British Guiana
211
British Guiana-Venezuela border
211
Bri tish overflight of the Soviet Union
. . . • 23-24. I€H
British Parliament
94. 232
British radar network
9-1
Brugioni. Dino
135. 137
Budapest. Hungary
123
Budget. Bureau of the
267. 308-310
Budget. Direcwr of the
40
Buffalo. New York
9. 63
Bulganin. Nikolai
94, 120
Bulgaria
10 1. 124- 125. 1-W
Bundy. McGeorge
188. 201. 205. 209. 236. 293
BUORL
22
Burbank. California
45
&eeret NOFe"N
Index
Burke. William
168 120 114
Byeloruss1a
104. 106
c _ _ _________
C model camera
54
C- 118 aircra ft
144
C -1 24 cargo planes
66. 135. 181. 219
Cabell. Charles P.
30. 36. 43. ,88. IOI. 122-123. 127.
139. 183. 223. 295. 327, 329
Cairo. Egypt
117. 119
Calcutta. India
232
California
9. 13, 24. 26. 36, 45. 50. 54. 56.
• 133. 182. 198. 200. 208. 22 1. 247.
251-252. 254-256. 295. 311. 3-10
California Institute of Technology
26
Cambodia
216. 230. 243
camera lenscs
93
camera technicians
78
camera-carrying balloons
14. 18. 23. 84, 145
cameras
I. 3-4, 12-13. 21 -22. 3 I. 44, 49-5 1.
S3-55. 60. 77. 87. 196. 244. 281-282.
3 10,313.321. 327. 329. 332. 333
Canberra
5. 9. 23-24. 67. 109. 117, 162
Cannon. Clarence
88
Capp, A l
45
cardiovascular system
62
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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.