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…
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and plan missions in view of priority and feasibility, to maintain
the operation on a continuing basis, and to carry out the dissem
ination of rhe resulting information in a manner consistent with
its special security requirementsY
When the U-2's deve lopment and testing approached comple
tion, Land's recommendation was put into effect. Following a mt!et
ing with Deputy Secretary of Defense Donald Quarles and Trevor
Gardner (who had been promoted from his special assistant post co
become Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Research and
Development), Richard Bissell establ ished an Ad Hoc Requirements
Committee (ARC) on I December 1955. He then named James Q.
Reber to be Intelligence Requ irements Officer for the U-2 project and
chairman of the ARC. Reber was already experienced in coordination
with other intelligence agencies, for he had headed the Directorate of
Intelligence DI Office of Intelligence Coordination for four years.
The first full-scale ARC meeting took place on I February 1956 with
representatives from the Army, Navy, and Air Force present.
Attending for the CIA were representatives from the Office of
Research and Reports (ORR) and the Office of Scienti fic Intell igence
. (QS I). The CIA membership later expanded to include the Office of
Current Intell igence (OCI) and a representative from the Directorate
of Plans. In 1957 the National Security Agency (NSA) also began
sending a representative. The State Department followed suit in 1960.
although it had been receiving reports from the committee all along.'~
A RC's main task was to draw up lists of collection requirements.
primarily for the U-2. but also for other means of collection. These
lists prioritized targets accordi ng to their ability to meet the three ma
jor national intelligence objectives concerning the Soviet Union in the
mid- 1950s: long-range bombers, guided missiles, and nuclear energy.
The committee issued its l ist of cargets for the use of the entire intelli
gence community using all available means of collection, not j ust for
the CIA with the U-2.63
" OSA History. chap. I. annex I (TS Codeword).
' ' Minu1es of lh.
" t,,lemorandum for lhc Joint S1udy Group from James Q. Rc:bcr. "Handling of
Requirements for 1he U-2:· 15 August 1960. IC Staff records. job 33-T-123A. box I 0.
" CHALICE (Gen.:rall" (TS Cod.:worJ>.
Chapter 2
James 0. Reber

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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.