Documents / Official release
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.
“Donald A. Johnson”17 pages
86 Secret NOFORN Chapter 2 Photograph of Dodonovo Atomic Energy complex taken by a Project GENETRIX balloon All of this publicity and protest led President Eisenhower to con clude that ··the balloons gave more legiti mate grounds for irritation than could be matched by the good obtained from them," and h,e or dered the project halted. On 7 February 1956 Secretary of State Dulles in formed the Soviet Union that no more "weather research" balloons would be released. but he did not offer an apology for the h ;n ft .over ,g ts. Despite the furor caused by GENETRIX. Air Force Chief of Staff Twining proposed yet another balloon project only fi ve weeks later, in mid-March 1956. This project would employ even higher fly ing balloons than GENETRIX and would be ready in 18 rnoinths. President Eisenhower informed the Air Force. however, that he was ··not interested in any more balloons.·· 1' '" Andrew J. Goo<lpastcr. Memorandum for th.: R.:i:ord. •• 10 Fcbrnary 1956 Confonmcc of Joint Chids of Scaff with thc President... WHOSS. Alpha. DDEL (TS. dcclassiticd 1980): St.:phcn E. Ambrose. Eiserzhmn:r. The Pri:sid,:111 vol. 2 (Ncw York: Simon and Schuster. 1984). p. J10. " Q uoted in Ambrose:, £isenltm,·a: Tiu: Pri:sidi:111. p. J 10. See,et
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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.