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.

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“United Press”17 pages

  • p. 12 later, at press conferences in February and July 1. 964, President Lyndon B. Johnson revealed the…
  • p. 40 …and meetings with every major unit of the US defense and intelligence establish ments. After receiving…
  • p. 98 …The Soviet Union sent strongly worded protest notes to the United States and the nations from…
  • p. 102 …not only press releases and the public Line to be taken, but also the suspension of…
  • p. 107 …in the United Kingdom. At about the ' Ibid.. pp. 17-18 (TS Codeword). ' Press Release of…
  • p. 112 …at a press conference that the Soviet Union might be ahead of the United States in…
  • p. 125 …Dial Press. 1982), pp. 45-47. '' Lundahl and Brugioni interview (TS Codeword). ~eeret
  • p. 167 …By 1957 cooperation be tween the United Kingdom and the United States had expanded to include…
  • p. 174 …Defense Department officials pressed President Eisenhower to authorize renewed overflights to gather up-to-date in…
  • p. 183 …On the 9 April overflight, the U-2 's ELINT-collection unit (System VI) indicated Soviet…
  • p. 195 …in the press about the presence of "spyplanes" on Japanese territory, asked the United States to…
  • p. 198 …DCI records (S). " United States Congress. Senate. Foreign Relations Committee. £recutive Sessions of tlze Sencae Foreign…
  • p. 307 …By 1962 the United States had become aware of the effectiveness of a new Soviet radar…
  • p. 315 …To preserve the secrecy of the OXCART program, the Air Force informed the press that an…
  • p. 328 …at times when the press and Congress alleged that the United States was falling behind the…
  • p. 362 …Smithsonian Institute Press, l 985. Khrushchev. Nikita S. Khrushchev Remembers: The Last Testament. Boston: Little, Brown…
  • p. 401 …United Kingdom (See Great Britain) United Kingdom Requirements Committee 154 United Nations 20 United Press International…
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.