HISTORY OF THE U-2 PROGRAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP33-02415A000800340037-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 21, 2002
• Sequence Number: 37
• Publication Date: May 25, 1965
• Content Type: MEMO

NRO REVIEW &OMPLETED DATE: 25 May 196
Approved For Release 2002/06/24: CIA-RDP - 40037-5
Office of the DD/S&T
To: James A. Cunningham
SUBJECT: "History of the U-2 Program"
10
H
The Board of Editors of the Studies
in Intelligence met last weekend and
everyone inquired about the status of
your paper, "History of the U-2
Program." Could you give me a written
status and prospectus on this paper.
Albert D. Wheelon
11
DUE DATE:
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une 1963
Copy ...,-L.,..
ORAI NUM FOR: Deputy Director for Science and Technology
SUB.1 Cr
REFERENCE:
Proposed History of the U-Z Program
DDfS&T?24Z6-65, dated ZS May 1965
1. 1 am freak to admit that since you first mentioned the proposed
hi story of the U-2 program to me many months ago, I have made no
forward strides to accomplishing the objective for a variety of reasons;
most of them connected with the more tnr ediate priorities of daily
burning Issues. I have, however, done considerable thinking about
the approach to take in attacking such a history. Some of these
thoughts are summarized below:
a. As I understand it. the original motivation for writing as
authentic story of the U-Z was the idea that it could first be
published as a controlled Agency document in Studies In Intelligence,
and then at a point downstream, should it serve the interest of the
Agency, It could be declassified and presumably made available to the
people at large to counter-act nay of the spurious. sensational
stories and books which have been written on the program since
I May 1960. If this is the case, and t think it to a. sound one. I
believe that a fall treatment of the subject from its inception to
November 1954 up through the Powers trial in Moscow in the
early fall of 1960 should be attempted. I indicate ;'full treatment"
to set the stage for an effort in greater depth than perhaps may have
been anticipated when you suggested that I write "an article" for
Studies in Intelligence on this subject.
b. I would propose that in order to do justice to the subject,
the writer would of necessity have to separate himself from th#
daily crisis environment in which we operate, and work on the
abject with the same care "d attention necessary to prodduce a
good doctoral thesis. There are =any vital records. for
on the early days in the U -Z program, in the form of memoranda,
written observations, reports of conversation. etc. , which repose
Excluded rrrsm aatomotic
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Records Center. These would have to be ex-
ad reviewed by the author as part of the basic research,
would also suggest that we ennk arrangements to visit and inter-
view personally certain of the key personalities connected with the
early days of the program and record these interviews on tape.
Among the people I would propose to subjects for such personal
interviews are: Allen des, Dick Bissell, Kelly Johnson,
General Ritland, former Air Force General Don Putt, Dr. Herb Miller,
General Andrew Goodpaster. General Cabell, 25X1
former assistant to Dick Bissell, and others like stripe. In
addition. I would add interviews with certain of the former U-2
field personnel, such as Colonel Stan Beeerii, as well as some of the
original [l-2 pilots who remain with us. Within Headquarters,
there are only a few of no who remain with any degree of knowledg
however imperfect, of the earliest days of the program. These
would include John Parrangosky, and myself, who would
contribute as approp
c. From the material gathered above I believe an extremely
interesting and reasonably accurate reconstruction of the early
days of the U-2 program can be woven together. It would have the
added attraction of not simply being a bare-bones factual preesenta--
tion, but would benefit from the spice and anecdotes which would be
supplied by most of the personalities t have enumerated above. The
editorial process of pulling this material together would not be a
simple one.
2. I would assume that the entire process outlined above would
take somewhere in the neighborhood of from four to five months of can-
contrated effort to produce the kind of volume of which we all can be not
oalye oufident, but proud. There would be some expense invol
secretarial support to such an effort, as well as a certain amount of
travel to interview the principals, although most of them are fairly handy
to Washington. I feel that I can best serve this project as a collaborator
than as the sole source and originator of the document. We do have in
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OS*, in the person of I as indfviduai who by training and
temperament could handle this assignment to the Queen's taste. He tea,
also been with the program for abnost as many years as I have, and he
has the added advantage of havi already authored this
operation an the U-Z. I would appreciate your comm* nts and r.ac on
to the above at your convenience.
MS A. CUAt
Deputy Assistant Director
(Special Activities)
Distribution:
1 - DD/S&T
2 - EzDir-Comet (Historical Staff)
3 - SAL/OSA
4 - DAD / OSA
5 - Chrono
6 - RB / OSA
DAD/OSA/JACunninghamI 17 June 1965)
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