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…
366
Sec, el "10FOAl\i
Index
Goering, Hermann
66
Goldmark, Peter C.
18
golf balls
- 50
Goodpaster. Andrew J.
89. 97. 100. 105-106. 109, 120. 126
128, 144. 146. 167. 172,187,329
Grace. Frank G.
80
GRANDSLAM
170. 172. 174-175
Granger Company
336
GRC- 127
205
Great Britain
3. 7, 23. 93-95. 112-113. 115. 117.
120. 153-156. 181. 303. 319
Air Ministry
94. 155
counterintelligence operative
94 -
Greyhoun<I bus
289
Groom Lake
56. 66. 133
Groton
15
!!round resolution
- 281-282. 250
Guatemala
. 157
"guided democracy"
212
Gulf Coast
254
Gulf of Finland
142
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
231
2ust control
- 47
GUSTO
274
H
H camera
244. 247. 253. 256. 282
Hagerstown, Maryland
9
Haiphong Harbor
247
H:ilaby. Najeeb E.
289
Hall. Wiliam
117. 119. 143
Haller-Raymond-Brown (HRS)
335
"handing off'
87
[__"hanger queen"
175
Harvard University
18. 21-22. 29, 50-51. 327. 129
!Harvard College Observatory
21
IHawk-750 glider kit
342
haze filters
105
IHBJARGON
175-176
IHBJGO
176
heavy water
19
Helms. Richard M.
253. 256. 304-305, 309-310. 329
HEN HOUSE
168
HEN ROOST installations
168
Hener. Christian
127. 163
" hiding in the open"
55
high-acuity cameras
2 1, 50-51. 327
high-altitude air sampling (H ASP)
219
hi!!h-altitude aircraft
- 4. 8. 16. 24. 59. 148. 304
..Seecet

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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.