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 ↗

“US Navy”15 pages

  • 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…
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.