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THE UNDER SECRETARY OF THE Alit FORCE

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Handle Via Indicated Controls

WARNING

This doewsent contains infonnotien effecting the stations, security of the United States within the wren.

lag of the espionage lows U. S. Code Title lg. Sections 753 and 754. The law prohibits its tranamis.

Won or the revelation of its contents in any menses se so sineuthotised person, es well es its WIN in say

wanner prejudicial to the moiety or interest of the Unite. States or for the benefit of rim Wales govern.

most to the detriment of the Wiped Storrs. It is to be seen only by U. S. ImMlennel •SP•111417 istd•s•

Warned sod authorised is receive information in the designated centrol channels. its segurity must Is

mointoined, in ecestdowse with regulations perwrining to the oesignered controls.

This document contains information referring to Projects:

OXCART IDEALIST 1111. mom_

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December 3, 1963

UNITED 3V2ES OVEZFLICnT rman AREAS

The follaulng sectary outlines the ;repent status of pro..

viedone for the collection of intelligence information by

overaiaht'of foreign territory. Included are descriptions of

t'e:e ec-eeilitias being developed and the crivesomeato that heve

be:.: =Ida for sepervicing and mi=a34 this effort on a netional

basis.

Overflight by the United States of foreign territory ("denied

areas") Is conducted by mans of special reconnaiscance aircraft

end catellites.

The U-2 is at present ths aircraft cost frevently used for

such photozrephic reconnaissame. Over 60 U-2 photographic missions

:..:re flown in the past year, exclusive of regular sm-vaillance

miseiene over Cuba. Pre.apent missions are flown over Communist •

Ceins; most of the rest of the G0-plus missions were I A the South

icet izian erect.

Satellites ere no the only source of intelligence photosr: by over the Soviet Union and ovar its peripheral neighbors in

about once a =nth photcgreph a large fraction

G: the Soviet lend MI6; almost r:be whole Soviet Union is covered

zt ?cast VICO dtrinz a year's sr:tram:en. The satellite vet=

uctg: for this phetesraphy - a se-called 7"eroadd.coveraze" system -

pLotozra2hs t swath eecut IZO miles wide on the ground, with an

eceLty or rozolution sufficier.t to identify and locate primary •

wilitary terete such as mir:,elle sites. Under good conditions,.

Cejects and LeztLIT= smeller /0 teat in dimension can be

iCeatifiod fra, this photogrez.L.2. Tale resolution is considerably

lets tract that provided by t%:.. lower...flying U-2, but the area

ellat can be covered by this bread-coverage satellite system is

vary great.

Liace mzi.Ircry of the Liret sueeN.sea::. e%.:7.=:naiseence

:Lute/lite. -.7....:.:: in Auzust 1;.5'3, the Uzitad .'. 4.1:z= '17..= conducted

55 sucecc•iel =es coverage Oeotogre,..Ue mission*, tahic12 have

provided t prim=y base of United Stater. information concerning

rfogrie::: I.CL2.1 cxxIMIN deployment.

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Dio2S LOT MEW l.37, 4.3
TO replace the existing 17-2, a new recormaissance aircraft

is beina developed to fly at speeds of Vach 3.2 at altitudes up

to 90,000 feet. This aircraft will operate entirely frcm bases

within the continental Uoited States assisted by air relUeling

at atm:cafe points. Specie/ provision has bocce made to :map

the =ler cross-section quite low, wIlicb will increase the

difficulty of "catqy" detectica and hostile action. The first

U:4:1M . was tads in April 1952. To date, 12 aircraft have been

delivered to the flight test site, and over 502 flichta have been

vac totalling 670 heure, vith the lonsest flight being 5 hmers,

the ti:,hest speed achieved balms Mach 3.2, and the greatest

altitude 73,000 fact. On Cho basis of ress to date, it it

exr.Letad teat initial operational capability will be reached

Carii l. 1964.

All film fray: rceusuciosance cisaions is recovered

by air catch in the Paeiric recolrery crea near Fawcii. The

typl%ca/ mission accexplishcs its ptezoIrapby in about four days.

Ma satcllite reconunissaacl ::Efort also contains payloees

eavoted to collection of ell-ctronic intellizczec, riiich is

racycel electronically ircm sh.z. catcUitz to c ;.LC nark cf tracking

stations. Lifetime on orbits of eigcal inteillsence satc/lites varies from'

00

Fazie_a_or_

CPntrol De 37,13
Beceuse of the extreme seneitivity of reconnaissance over

deaied areas, the entire effort has been organized on a national

bcoic ceder otringeat security rules defined and supported by

evpropriate national policy. As part of this policy, steps have

been ter::en to minimize public speculation concerning reconnaissance,

and to avoid any official conflemation that the United States is

crelazed in • such activities. With the exception of previous

c...tr.oclurco concernint U..2 employment, and previous official aclimowled1;eent that the United States was actively mimed in development

cf satellite reconuaissanee cc ability (in connection with the

project previomoly identified as S&LS), all development is being

eerried.ont on a covert ("Mate) basis requiring centrally contro/Ied special clearancea for each witting individual. In

aelition to avoiding any official confirmation that the United

States is curraetly collecting actual overflight intelligence

information, every effort is made to protect, through the most

strineeut security peocedures, any knowledge of the kind and

qeality of the results which have been obtained.

To avoid public cpeculation abet or official confirmation

of the overilidht effort, even the name of the responsible

cranizetien e the Eacioaal Beconnaiseence =ice - lc SECRET.

::3rzeuraut Uatwacn the Secretary o2 Defense end the Director

of Ceatral Intelligence, rite National keconneiseaace Office is

cettblieeed as au operating aseac, of the Departeent of Defense,

reeteeerchip from the several Services aud Agencies whose

reeeneces arc inveived. The Uneer Secretary of the Air Force is

the Director cZ the Nationel Uceczeniarence Office. The aircraft

oZfeet is largely delegated to the Central Intelligence Agency,

eich a:-propriate assist:ince free tile Departmeat-of the Air Force.

The setellite reconnaiseance e:Zort is carried out by specially

enanieed emits of the Deperteeat of the Air Force, with security

cm: other azsistance it= tmits of the Central Intelligftnce ::gin; y.

izeistance in the field of eignal ix: telLigence comae from specially

or-muted units of the Department of the devy.

All intelligence collection requirementa aro established by

tha United Stcteo Intelligence Doard. All photographic-results

aee muCe available to the intelligence community through the.

Cur rover

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Vetional rhotegraphic Interpretation Center and the Defense Intel•

/igen= Acency. Signal intelligence results are made available

throush tae National IL Basic operating policy and

supervision is provided to the Director of the National nocon•

naiscenee Office by the Secretary of Defense and the Director of

Central Intelligence. Higher level review and supervieion is

provided on a close and continuing bcsis by the 5412 Special Croup

of the National Security Council, and by the President's reersiGn

Intellisecce Mvioory Beard.

The entire eff rt is subetenmtia in fiscal

year 1964, of uhiu eilite recon•

Deis:hence) and 1 a3 pro c ex v=1; important intelligence

results). The security considerations associated with the effort

have madLed icpressive technical accomplisheents. The achieveeent

of me:tainted level flight at over Necb 3 in a titanium aircraft

involve3 numerous weceptional technical advances:. The saccilite

accoteticats are equally 13:prose/me, and include ouccecsful

develope:nt of orbit-adjust ccpability, including planned de•orbit

of the entire vehicle in a remote ocean area after caspletion of

the recoannizsacce mission and recovery of the film. In addition,

the IlLscogrephic results obtained fees altitudes of approaeately

neutical wiles bee.° exceeded the original design opecifications

and reereaent ea outstanding technical achievement. These latter

reeule3 era illustrated by the following photographs obtained of

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