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 399 Original source ↗

“Hill”15 pages

  • p. 4 …17 The BEACON HILL Report .................................................................... 17 Concern About the Danger of a Soviet Surprise Attack ................ 19…
  • p. 13 Helen Hill Kleyla and Robert D. O'Hern. This 16-volume Top Secret Codeword study of…
  • p. 14 …view of the "other side of the hill." With the advent of dry film, it became…
  • p. 30 …Dulles The BEACON HILL Report In 1951 the Air Force sought even more assistance from scientists…
  • p. 31 …Their head quarters was located over a secretarial school on Beacon Hill, which soon became the…
  • p. 32 …et NOFOAN Chapter 1 document on 15 June 1952, the BEACON HILL Report advocated radical approaches…
  • p. 34 …Created in July 1953, the Intelligence Systems Panel (ISP) included several experts from the BEACON HILL…
  • p. 37 …sance needs ex.pressed in the BEACON HILL Report. Theoretically, he explained to the panel. any…
  • p. 41 …H. T. Friis R. Mettler A.G. Hill E. Purcell W. H. Radford E. H. Plesset…
  • p. 44 …members had been discussing since the BEACON HILL and Intelligence Systems Panel meetings. James Baker was…
  • p. 45 …Having participated in the BEACON HILL Study and the Intelligence Systems Panel, several Project Three members…
  • p. 344 …He headed the Beacon Hill Panel in 1952 and later became director of Lincoln Laboratories. PARANGOSKY…
  • p. 345 …of several advisory panels, including the BEACON HILL project. He helped Baker decide what cameras to…
  • p. 364 …BEACON HILL Report: Problems of Air Force Intelligence and Reconnaissance. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 15 June…
  • p. 371 …Soviet Union 137 Beacon Hill 17-19. 21. 24, 3 1-32. 331-33'.! BEACON HILL…
Sec.et N6f'OPIN
Index
386
Tyuratam, Soviet Union
135, 137-138, 160, 163-165, 167-168.
171- 172, 176
u
U - 1
66
U-2
accomplishments
316
assembly
45, 47, 66. 75. 164. 280, 284, 291
bailout experiments
64
bases
93
bicycle-type landing gear
47
blue-black color
149
brakes
69
canopy
80. 149. 177
cockpit
11. 63-64. 79, 125. 283. 292. 296
cost
34. 124. 149. 250-252. 263. 269. 273.
280. 285-286, 309, 322. 341-342
cover story
60. 85. 89-90, 94, 99, 132, 156, 178-180.
182, 207-208, 216,224,295
coverage
316
deadstick landing
79
deployment
2, 74. 76. 78. 88-89. 93-94. 134. 161.
165, 167, 247, 250. 255-257, 297.
301-302. 304. 307,3 13,3 17.332
design
47
destruction device
177
detachable pogos
47
ejection seat
64. 177, 302
emergency landing
78. 188. 222,313
film exploitation
115
flameout
71, 78-79, 131, 198. 229
flight plans
82. 177
flights approval process
187-188, 226. 30 I
foreign pilots
73-74, 32 1
fuel
5. 23. 47. 61-62. 68. 76. 133. 161. 175.
199. 218-219. 231. 235. 241 , 247-248.
271. 274. 277-278. 283-284. 286. 288.
302. 313. 340
fuel consumption
68. 219
fuel <>auae
68, z"19.~302
fuselage
10. 24. 47. 130,248.251, 270,277,286
inspection procedures
297
landing gear
10-12. IS. 47-48. 69. 89. 248
low-speed stall
76
maiden flight
66. 288
mission 1104
I 14
mission 1105
114
mission 1314
117
mission 2003
100
mission 2009
IO I
mission 2010
101
mission 2013
104-105
mission 2014
105
mission 2020
106
mission 2021
106
ioe,at

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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.