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…
360
Sec, et NOFORN
Index
Carey, Howard
80, 140
Carter, John H. (Jack)
9-10
Carter, Marshall S.
186, 201, 205, 208-209, 299, 327
Caspian Sea
126
catheterized
64
cathode-ray tube
267
Caucasus Mountains
179
celestial "fixes"
76
Central Asia
135
Central Asian republics
176
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
29, 32, 59
Air Force competition
308
air operations
157, 191
General Counsel
44
Inspector General
190
proprietary
260, 129
proprietary firm
110, 129, 222, 260
U-2 program
257, 181
centrifugal force
177
CHALICE
155, 170, 182
Chamoun. Camille
152
Chance Vought Corporation
8
Ch'ang-sha, China
228
Chapman, Robert
238
Charbatia. India
232-233, 237, 239
Charyk, Joseph V.
260, 327-328
Chekiang Province
235
Chelyabinsk, Soviet Union
176
Cherbonneaux, James
127, 138, 214
Chiang Ching-kuo
224
Chiang Kai-shek
224
Chiang-yu. China
228
Chicago Daily Tribune
132
Chief of Station for Germany
IOI
Chief of Station in Taipei
224
Chief of the German General Staff
I
"chimney"
71
China
5, 85, 135, 148, 157, 174, 190, 201,
211, 215-217, 219. 221-222. 224-226.
228-233. 235-237, 239-240, 242-243,
245, 247, 253. 282. 301. 305, 307, 319.
336. 339-341. 343.
See also Nationalist China and
People's Republic of China (PRC)
China Lake, California
340
chine
277
Chinese Communist nuclear tests
240
Chinese mainland
319. 215,222.226
Chinese nuclear reactors
238
Chinese nuclear test
237
Christ, David L.
339
Christian Science Monitor
18
Civil Air Transport
214, 222
civilian supersonic transport (SST)
293
Secact

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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.