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. 11 …At great risk, US Air Force and Navy aircraft had been conducting peripheral reconnaissance and shallow…
  • p. 16 …As a result, in the late 1940s, the US Air Force and Navy began trying to…
  • p. 17 …Two months later, on 7 October 1952, Soviet fighter aircraft stalked and shot down a US…
  • p. 72 …The terminology used to describe U-2 aircraft and pilots also played a part in maintaining…
  • p. 94 …The committee issued its l ist of cargets for the use of the entire intelli gence…
  • p. 147 …The Agency then turned co the Navy, which granted permission for Detachmernt C to use the…
  • p. 180 …James Doolittle urged President Eisenhower to use overflights of the Soviet Union to the maximum degree…
  • p. 223 …by Air Force and Navy reconnais sance aircraft. President Kennedy used NPIC photographs to i llustrate…
  • p. 273 …Charyk, and his Navy counterpart, Garrison Norton. Designers from several air craft manufacturers also attended some…
  • p. 283 …This engine had originally been developed for the Navy's large, jet-powered flying boat, the…
  • p. 297 …The need for additional bui ldings on the base was met by the Navy. Three surplus…
  • p. 298 …After hearing Bissell and Holcomb's suggestion that the 158 might be used in future Navy…
  • p. 348 …Following modifications to make System-VII suitable for use by the Navy, the designation was changed…
  • p. 353 …In 1968 tests on an AQUILINE prototype at Randsburg Wash on the US Navy's Naval…
  • p. 401 …247, 328 US Marine Corps Reserve 14 US Military Academy at West Point 329 US Navy…
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

Not linked to a story yet.

About this file

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.