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. 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…
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.