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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 395 Original source ↗

“United Press”17 pages

  • p. 12 later, at press conferences in February and July 1. 964, President Lyndon B. Johnson revealed the…
  • p. 40 …and meetings with every major unit of the US defense and intelligence establish ments. After receiving…
  • p. 98 …The Soviet Union sent strongly worded protest notes to the United States and the nations from…
  • p. 102 …not only press releases and the public Line to be taken, but also the suspension of…
  • p. 107 …in the United Kingdom. At about the ' Ibid.. pp. 17-18 (TS Codeword). ' Press Release of…
  • p. 112 …at a press conference that the Soviet Union might be ahead of the United States in…
  • p. 125 …Dial Press. 1982), pp. 45-47. '' Lundahl and Brugioni interview (TS Codeword). ~eeret
  • p. 167 …By 1957 cooperation be tween the United Kingdom and the United States had expanded to include…
  • p. 174 …Defense Department officials pressed President Eisenhower to authorize renewed overflights to gather up-to-date in…
  • p. 183 …On the 9 April overflight, the U-2 's ELINT-collection unit (System VI) indicated Soviet…
  • p. 195 …in the press about the presence of "spyplanes" on Japanese territory, asked the United States to…
  • p. 198 …DCI records (S). " United States Congress. Senate. Foreign Relations Committee. £recutive Sessions of tlze Sencae Foreign…
  • p. 307 …By 1962 the United States had become aware of the effectiveness of a new Soviet radar…
  • p. 315 …To preserve the secrecy of the OXCART program, the Air Force informed the press that an…
  • p. 328 …at times when the press and Congress alleged that the United States was falling behind the…
  • p. 362 …Smithsonian Institute Press, l 985. Khrushchev. Nikita S. Khrushchev Remembers: The Last Testament. Boston: Little, Brown…
  • p. 401 …United Kingdom (See Great Britain) United Kingdom Requirements Committee 154 United Nations 20 United Press International…
382
Sec, el l'(IOFORl'.J
Index
Soviet Union
1-3, 4-7. 14-27. 31, 39, 65, 81-89,
93-101. 104-106. 108-112. 120,
122-124, 126-130, 133-135, 137-
140, 142-149. 152-157, 159-165,
167-168. 170-172. 174-183. 186-187,
189, 195-197. 200-201, 205-206,
209-211, 215. 219,221,225,232,237,
247, 254, 259. 294, 297-299, 301,
303-304, 312. 315-320, 322. 329-330,
332. 335-336. 339,341,344
activity in Cuba
200,201
air defense system
2. 3. I08. I68. I70, 317
air power of the
20
air show
98
atomic energy program
317
bomber
21. 11 I. 167. 317
borders
123, 127, 143
diplomatic protests
315- -
electronic defenses
317
fighters
3. 5. 23, 26. I27. 144
G-class ballistic-missile submarine
237
guided missile and nuclear programs
135
guided missile research
99
guided missiles
81. 99
guided-missile test range
16
intentions
4. 318
intercept attempts
142
interception of U-2
19, 24-25. 47. 87. 106, 108. 110. 122.
127, 134. 144. I70, 244. 270. 3 I5, 339
medium-range ballistic missiles
201, 206
missile program
128. I59- I61. 163-164
missile test range
16. 23, 143, 164. 167, 176
overflight operation
110
propaganda campaign
317
Protest Note
109
radar coverage
106
radars
3. 7. 15, 97. 130, 134, 168. 176.
259. 339
rail network
167
strategic capabilities
2. 19
Supreme Soviet
179
surface-to-air missile (SAM)
177, 168, 304
surprise attack
19. 26-27, 89. 147, 159, 329-330
Soviet-Finnish border
303. 142
Soviet-Iranian border
124. 162-163. 168
Special Activities. Director of
193
Special Activities (OSA). Office of
43. 192-193, 207. 234-235. 242. 247.
252. 257,288. 296-297, 299. 303. 312.
328. 341-342. 344
Special Assistant for National Security Affairs
188
Special Assistant to the DCI
40
"special" missions
116
Special Operations Division
192
Spica. Incorporated
51
spotting camera
282
Sputnik
159
SQUARE DEAL
168. 170
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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.