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.

Open the PDF at page 393 Original source ↗

“The Pentagon”12 pages

  • 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…
380
Secret NOFORN
Index
Russell, Richard B.
88
Ryan Aircraft
343
s
S-band radar
87
sailplane
10-11. 24-26. 47
Sakhalin Island
201
Saltonstall. Leverett
88
SAM site
177. 205. 306
San Cristobal. Cuba
206-207. 209
San Diego, California
2-P, 343
SANDY HOOK
343
Santa Barbara Channel
254 _ -
Santa Clara Airfield. Cuba
201
Saratov Engels Airfield. Soviet Union
IM
Saryshagan. Soviet Union
139. 168, 232. 336
satellite imagery
298, 255
satellite navigation systems
341
satellite photography
87. 195-197, 22~ 233. 237. 241
satellites
22. 100. 104. 159. 162,211.299,
303. 312. 320. 322. 328
Saville. Gordon P.
17-18
Schalk. Louis
288-289
Schlesinger. James R.
257. 333
Schoech. William A.
285
Schriever, Bernard A.
7, II
Schultze, Charles L.
309
Science and Technology. Directorate of
I 93, 287, 328
Science and Technology, Special Assistant
to the President for
37
Scientific Advisory Board
17. 23
Scientific Advisory Committee
17, 89, 332
Scientific Engineering Institute (SE!)
110- l I l, 129. 260. 267, 27-+. 331-332
Scientific Intelligence (OSI). Office of
14, 21, 39, 81, 97,331,333
SCOPE COTTON
310
SCOPE CRANE
242
SCOPE LOGIC
303
SCOPE SAINT
255
SCOPE SAINT-I
255
SCOPE SAINT-11
255
SCOPE SHIELD
246-247
Scott. Roderick M.
51, 53. 281. 333
Scoville. Herbert
207,287,289.333
SCR-270 radar
7
Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Airport. Pennsylvania
222
Sea of Japan
3
Seaberg, John
8-9. 12. 35-36. 333
SEAFOAM
211
sealant
286. 288
secrecy agreements
295
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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.