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…
377
Plans, Directorate of
73, 81, 157,197,211,287
Plesetsk, Soviet Union
176
Poland
I00-101, l04, I 10, 123, 145,303
polarizing filters
330
Polaroid Corporation
18, 24, 29
POLECAT
221
Polish Ambassador to the US
109
Polyarny Ural
172
polygraph examination
185
Pope, Allen L.
214-215
poppy fields
254
Port Said, Egypt
120
Portsmouth Harbor
94
. P9tassium cyanide
66. 125
powered glider
14, 25. 339
Powers. Francis Gary
88,117,124, 174-178, 181-187,
190-191, 195, 197,201.219, 221.
224,252,316,322.332, 336
Poznan, Poland
104
PR3 aircraft
5
Pratt, Perry W.
31
Pratt & Whitney
12, 31. 35, 40, 48, 67, 71. 152,217,
251,268,270, 284-285, 290
Pratt & Whitney J58 power plant
270
Pratt & Whitney J75-Pl3 jet engine
152
Pratt & Whitney J75/19W engines
284
Pratt and Whitney J57
12
President's Board of Consultants on
Foreign Intelligence Activities
37, 127, 167, 170, 190, 192,328,
330
President's Foreign Intelligence
Advisory Board
37
President's Intelligence Checklist
201
President's Science Advisory Committee
37
pressure suits
64, 247
pressurized "spacesuit"
63
Prettyman. E. Barrett
184-185
Prettyman Board
185
Princeton University
29
processing and interpretation centers
115
Project Director
61. 82. 329
Project Officer. AFCIG-5
61
Project Staff
40-43. 56, 72-73. 82, 89,
170. 299
Project Three
27, 29-34. 327
propaganda
88, 160, 162. 183. 186. 317
Pryor. Frederick
183
psychological warfare
186. 222
Pueblo
242. 307,320
Puerto Rico
207,211
Pulse-Position Indicator display
267
Purcell. Edward M.
18, 29, 110-111. 129,260,263.
271, 274. 332
Putt, Donald L.
• 11. 35-36. 40
PYO [Soviet Air Defense]
174
Sec, et NOfOAl'I
Index
Secret

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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.