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. 143 …Air Force contract to evaluate ra dars, EG&G operated a small testing facility at Indian…
  • p. 244 …Then in August 1964, following the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the Air Force assumed responsibility for…
  • p. 381 …232 Indian Springs, Nevada 274. 130, 132 Indonesia 211-212, 214,319 Indonesian Air Force 212…
389
Neptune bomber
3
Privateer patrol aircraft
3
Naval Ordnance Test Station
340
U.S. News and World Report
99
US nuclear test monitoring system
139
US nuclear tests
147
US Senate, Anned Services Commiuee
88. 99, 185
US Senate. Foreign Relations Committee
165, 185
US 6th Fleet
153
US 7th Fleet
215
US lmelligence Board (USIB)
196-197. 225,228,249, 332,336
USS Kitty Hawk
247
USS Ranger
250
utility aircraft
66
V
Vance. Cyrus
238. 300. 309-310
Venezue la
211
vernier adjustment
76
very-high-acuity lenses
50
Viet Cong
230, 243
Vietnam
190. 216, 22 1-222, 230-231 , 233-234.
242-243, 246, 30 I , 304-308, 311. 336.
342-343
Vito. Carmine
65. 105, 124-125, 214
Vladimirovka. Soviet Union
171
Vladivostok, Soviet Union
3. 126
Vogt, Richard
8
Voigt. Woldemar
8
Vol ga River
22
von Fritsche, Wc:mer
I
w
WADC's Bombardment Branch
8
Wake Island
305
Walker, Christopher H.
155
wallpaper
130
Walter Reed Hospital
96
Warsaw Pact
87·
Washington University. St. Louis
29
Watertown Strip
57
Watton RAF Base. England
156
"weather plane" cover story
179
weather research
85-86, 89-'90. I 32, 182
Wearherwise
2 16
Wendover, Utah
295
West Potomac P~irk
42
Western Europe
20, 85, 140
Western Hemisphere
21 1
"wet-wing" design
68
Sec. et N6f6RN
Index
iuret:

Not linked to a story yet.

About this file

Official release, from the pursue collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 406 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.