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. 143 …Air Force contract to evaluate ra dars, EG&G operated a small testing facility at Indian…
  • p. 244 …Then in August 1964, following the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the Air Force assumed responsibility for…
  • p. 381 …232 Indian Springs, Nevada 274. 130, 132 Indonesia 211-212, 214,319 Indonesian Air Force 212…
369
J
J-3 (Operations)
189
175 power plant
152
jamming devices
300
Jammu and Kashmir
231
Japanese airspace
4
Japanese Government
134, 182, 221
jet stream
94, 145
jet-propelled glider
II, 25
Johnson, Clarence L. (Kelly)
10-12, 13-14, 17, 24-26, 29-31,
34-36, 43-48, 50, 54, 56-57, 59,
64, 66-70, 76, 108, 130, 132. 149.
179. 185, 196, 247-248. 251, 262-263.
268,271,274, 277-279, 281, 284. 289,
293-297, 320, 329
Johnson. Lyndon B.
195. 236-237, 243, 293-295. 302.
304-305, 310-311, 332
Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS)
122, 124, 126, 161, 187-190, 223,
234,302
Joint Intelligence Committee
154
Joint Priorities Committee
154
Joint Reconnaissance Center (JRC)
189
Jones,· Edwin K.
138
Jordan
117, 153
JP-7 fuel
62
6eeret NOFOAN
Index
K
K-21 framing cameras
49
K-38 camera
50-5 I, 53
Kadena Airbase, Okinawa, Japan
301
Kaliningrad missile plant
105
Kamchatka Peninsula
128, 134, 197
Kandalaksha, Soviet Union
176
Kapustin Yar, Soviet Union
16, 23-24, 109, 139, 143, 164
Kara Sea
142
Kazakh language
135
Kazakhstan
135
Kazan', Soviet Union
167
KC- I35 tankers
71, 199
KEDLOCK
285
"Kelly's Angel"
66
KEMPSTER
300
Kennedy, John F.
186, 191-192, 195-196, 198. 207-208,
2 I0. 225, 229, 232, 235. 292-293,
297-298, 330
Kennedy, Joseph W.
29
Kennedy, Robert
215
Kennedy administration
191, 195, 225
kerosene fuel
62
Khan, Ayub
135
Secret

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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.