PRESENT STATUS OF U-2L PROPOSAL IN PENTAGON CIRCLES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP89B00980R000600040024-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 8, 2005
• Sequence Number: 24
• Publication Date: May 19, 1964
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 2006k/L-RDP89B00980R000600040024-9
May
Copy //
MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy Director of Science and Technology
SUBJECT: Present Status of U-ZL Proposal in Pentagon Circles
1. Thought you might be interested in the latest intelligence on the
status of the U-ZL proposal to which Col. Geary has recently turned his
considerable energies. Briefly it is as follows:
a. Shortly after mid-April, during a visit to Washington by
Kelly Johnson, Kelly and Leo bearded Secretary Zuckert on the
subject of the U-2L in a 90-minute conversation. Although reportedly
lukewarm to the idea in the beginning, is said to have melted
under the combined eloquence of Johnson & Geary, and at the end of
the seance was allegedly reaching for his pen to sign the request for
approval which Geary had not prepared - purposely, he said.
b. No further concrete action seen-is to have been taken until
13 May when Geary returned from leave. However, just prior to
that moment, in a manner not cle~; r to nie as yet, leard 25X1
about the U-2L possibly via a cony. rb-,.,.on with the DNRO. It was
reported to me Monday, 11 May, that has shot down the 25X1
proposal", but at the sane time he w-, said to have indicated h',
awareness of the need for a high altitude reconnaissance vehicle other
than the OXCART/KE, DLOCK to do the kind of job the U-2 has been
doing so well.
Ga i "c t.;_.ai vi sited me and revealed that
audience with .clt a OILS c(Dnc.Lusion~h~_.: ~p + ed 25X1
to support the U- 4i, on Li- )ro ose
~ ~ 'q bags of 925 aircraft procurement,
and an estimate of cost of aircraft and engines of approximately
His principal questioning of Geary seems to have been
why the R -F couldn't do the job. Geary answered this successfully.
However, said thai because the USAF budget is tight in 1965,
the earliest that he could see the money was FY 1966. Leo and I both
'feel this would be too late.
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as sought 25X1
d. In addition to seeing[-
the support of I las a means of getting to General Le May
and getting his favorable consideration on the matter. There has been
no report on this as yet beyond the fact that as been swung 25X1
over and supports the idea, as reportedly does F__ I 25X1
estimates (and this conforms with our figure) that 25 airframes would
He has obtained a preliminary quotation from P&W
on an order of 35 engines (J75-P-13) I bor roughly
or the entire order. I have no figures on sub-systems or
camera systems but I think Geary is soliciting quotations here as well.
e. The important development seems to be that Geary is now
investigating the possibility of placing the order with Lockheed in such
a way that they would not begin to incur costs until October 1964.
Kelly has apparently told him that on this basis he could live on an
expenditure basis with about for the balance of FY 1965. 25X1
This would mean that would have half of the pie and still be able
to put most of his dollar costs in FY 1966. 1 told Geary that we have
an item of n our FY 1965 NRO budget which would be 50%
of the airframe costs on 5 airplanes but he did not seem to react in a
manner that would indicate that he felt this request would survive the
sharp pencil of the DNRO or that he really needed to have a co-
sponsor. Geary's equation is fifteen aircraft for SAC and ten for us.
2. While I am delighted to see the U-LL proposal apparently advancing
and even though I am an admirer of Col. Geary's forensic ability, I am
somewhat disturbed by the essentially unilateral nature of his negotiations
within the Pentagon and, thus far, with Kelly Johnson. If the
hopes to obtain, presumably by diverting KEDLOCK
funds to this purpose, is expensed without any contributions from CIA we
would more than ever be beholden to USAF/NRO/JRC for the allocation of
aircraft for the clandestine mission. One of the reasons we have been able
to hold out against their incursions to date was that we were originally
financial partners in the true sense with USAF in the creation of the U-2.
I can only assume that if enough votes are garnered by Geary he will seek
to get this effort underway under the Program D label in the NRO. I do not
question Geary's basic motives whatever in apportioning aircraft a~i he
says he would do, but when you add fifteen aircraft to the twenty now
operated by SAC you have quite a fleet as compared to our present store of
five, plus one in the works plus ten. The locus of technical monitoring
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Geary-run program would undoubtedly be
1='ri hf-Patterson B.
I .. ;4a not very certain that Geary would turn to us for contracting ser.-v1ce,s
tough I think he might wish to do so 3lmpiy because liar
mechanism to him and to Kelly Johnson. Fli; ht testi would probably
take place at North Bale, Edwards. I t=ai n c we . hotzld take the initiative
and press Mr. McCono for a, co:a n itn ont in favo:. od this proposal
so that we might be sure of his backing in any d ~cu F:a Gi.u e rn ghta have
with Col. Geary about the allocation of who gets which air-
craft first, and the ultimate allocation of carne. I thin. we should rerzist
any effort by NRO to remove the3 -;c are inncrti z in our
~~ Y 1965 budget for this purpose, certainly Mt, we have had a chance to
discover which way Mr. McCone wishes to go. pro . will recall that we
gave you a briefing just prior to your d's' artire in I"arch on gar cstizratc.d
reconnaissance aircraft requirements for the nc_.t five -e rs. This, I
think, still remains the basis of our t1zy:.