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. 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…
387
Sec1 et NOFORN
mission 2023
108
mission 2029
124
mission 3086
200
mission 3088
200
mission 3089
201
mission 3091
205
mission 3093
205
mission 3095
205
mission 3098
206
mission 3 100
206
mission 4016
124
mission 40 18
124
mission 4019
126
mission 4030
133
- mission 4154
175
mission 4 I55
168
mission 6011
144
mission length
199 ~
mission plotting
60
mission programmers
78
missions
59, 75, 82, 87, 106, I 14, 124, 127,
129, 154, 164, 167, 179, 187, 196, 207,
210,224,237,245,254,263, 316-317,
322,336
Nationalist Chinese crews
222
oleostrut
47, 69
operational altitude
76, 79, 108, 152
Operational Objective system
309
Index
Operational Readiness Inspection
77
outrigger wheels
79
overflights
6, 32, 62, 74, 76-77. 84-86, 88-89,
94-98, I00-10 I, I04-106, 108-111,
114, l 16, 122-128, 135, 138-140,
142-143, 146, 148, 152, 154-157,
159, 161-165, 167-168, 170, 172,
180-181, 195-198, 200-20 I, 205-206,
208, 210-21 l, 219, 222-226, 228-237,
239-240, 242-244, 249, 253, 257, 259,
294, 297-301, 310, 315-317, 318-320,
322
paint penalty
149
payload
262, 8, 11. 50, 54, 340, 87, 145, 152
peripheral missions
I89, 206, 244, 246
phaseout
257, 310
pilot fatigue
199
pilot hypoxia
80
pilot life-support system
64
pilot selection
60,283
pilot-survival gear
62
pilot training program
75
pilot urination
64
pilots
42, 299, 47, 56, 59-60,62-66, 68-69,
71-77, 79-80, 94, 109, 113-114, 116,
125, 127. 132-135. 140, 148-149, 153-
156, 164. 175-176, 179. 181-183, 186-187,
198-199, 207-212, 214, 221, 223-226,
229-230, 233-236, 238-240, 243, 246-248.
250-253, 256,283,319,321,332,340
pilots dessicated
65
pitch-control servo device
296
pogos
47, 79, 108
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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.