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.

Open the PDF at page 376 Original source ↗

“Cooper”12 pages

  • p. 5 …139 Cooperation With Norway ....................................................................... 142 Declining Overflight Activity.................................................................... 143 Concerns About Soviet Countermeasures Against the U…
  • p. 7 …320 Cooperation With the Air Force ............................................................. 321 Impact of the Overhead Reconnaissance Program o n the…
  • p. 91 …Early in the program Bissell and Ritland had foreseen such an emergency and, with the cooperation…
  • p. 95 …their awareness of the vital nature of their mission kept the level of cooperation high. The…
  • p. 143 …deception project since its early days, he cooperated reluctantly because he disliked adding attachments that made…
  • p. 155 …the beginning of cooperation between CIA and the Norwegian Intelligence Service on the U-2 program…
  • p. 167 …By 1957 cooperation be tween the United Kingdom and the United States had expanded to include…
  • p. 169 …a logical ex tension of the close cooperation that already existed between the two countries on…
  • p. 196 …as possible while giving the appearance of cooperating with his cap tors. To extract the maximum…
  • p. 287 …by Edgerton, Germeshausen & Grier (EG&G) in cooperation with the Scientific Engineering Institute at a small…
  • p. 302 …Halaby cooperated fully with the Agency and personally briefed all FAA regional chiefs on how to…
  • p. 334 …The cooperation between the Agency and the Air Force that began with the U-2 and…
363
Seeret PdOF6PU'<J
Dulles. Allen
16-17, 30, 32-37, 39-40, 43-44, 56,
60, 73, 76, 80, 82, 86, 88, 93, 95, 97.
105-106, 109-111, 117. 120, 124, 127,
154, 161-162, 164-165, 167, 170, 180,
184, 189, 191,214, 223-224, 260, 263,
295. 316-318. 327-328
Dulles, John Foster
20, 86, 109, 117, 122-123, 126
dummy corporations
44
Dunaway, Glendon
65
E
Earman, J. S.
206
earth's atmosphere
278
East Berlin riots of June 1953
16
East Germany
100-101, 142, 147,183,303
Eastern Europe
- 2, 84. 88-89. 100-101, 106. I IO.
123-124, 126-127, 139-140. 142,
144. 304. 316
Eastman Kodak
4, 31-32
eavesdropping
2
EBONY
222
Eden. Anthony
93-95
Edens, Buster
135
Edgerton, Germeshausen & Grier (EG&G)
130, 274
Edwards AFB. California
133, 149, 181. 198. 200,211,230
Eielson AFB. Alaska
133-134
Eisenhower, Dwight D.
I9, 26-27, 33-37, 39, 44, 56. 60. 73,
85-86. 88. 94-101, 104-106, 109-110,
112. 114, 116-117, l19-120.122-124,
126-129, 135, 139, 143-147, 152-156,
Index
159-164. 167-168, 170-172, 180-181,
187, 191-192, 195. 211-212, 214. 221,
224, 263, 267, 270. 277, 297, 315-317,
322. 328-330
electromagnetic energy
335
electromagnetic pulse indicator
240
electronic countermeasures (ECM)
207. 239,304.313, 317, 335-336
electronic intelligence (ELINT)
I14. 126, 144. 146, 153, 162-163.
175. 182, 215, 242. 244, 303, 335
electronic intercept
126,317
electronic sensors
292
electronic warfare
300
ELINT collection
142, 339
ELINT emanations
304
ELINT-collection gear
310
ELINT-collection unit (System VI)
170
Emergency Preparedness, Office of
254
engine nacelles
291
engineers
9-10. 12. 17. 25. 43. 45. 55. 61.
71. 255,260,269.286. 339,343
English Electric Company
5, 23
epoxy resin
277. 289
EQUINE
82
Ericson, Robert J.
80
espionage
I
Estonia
303. 339
Eurasian landmass
145
Europe
2, 4, 20. 23, 84-85. 88-89, 93. 100-101.
106, 110. 115, 123-124, 126-127, 139-140.
142. 144, 148, 178,255,304,316.330
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Official release, from the pursue collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 406 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.