The Central Intelligence Agency and Overhead Reconnaissance; The U-2 and OXCART Programs, 1954-1974

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Chapter 3
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long-range area." 17 Fears of Soviet missile progress increased when
Nikita Khrushchev stated on 23 April 1956, "I am quite sure that we
shall have very soon a guided missile with a hydrogen-bomb warhead
which could hit any point in the world." 18
Faced with growing Congressional and public anxiety over
Soviet offensive capabilties, President Eisenhower approved the pro­
posed overflight program. Colonel Goodpaster relayed this decision
to Bissell, Land, and Killian at a meeting on 21 June. The President
nevertheless maintained tight control over the program and authorized
only 10 days of overflights when operations over the Soviet Union
were ready to start in early July 1956. 19
FIRST OVERFLIGHTS OF EASTERN EUROPE
The CIA initiated U-2 flights over hostile territory even before the
President granted final approval for overflights of the Soviet Union.
After consulting with the Commander of US Air Force Europe,
Richard Bissell used existing Presidential permission for Air Force
overflights of the Soviet Union's East European satellites as his au­
thority to plan a mission over Poland and East Germany. Bissell had
informed the President of his intention to conduct such missions in
the "AQUATONE Operational Plan" submitted on 31 May.
The first operational use of a U-2 took place on Wednesday,
20 June 1956. Carl K. Overstreet flew a U-2 equipped with an
A-2 camera over Poland and East Germany. At the end of the mis­
sion, Detachment A immediately rushed the exposed film to the
United States for processing. The developed film arrived at the
Photo-Intelligence Division (PIO) on 22 June 1956. PIO personnel
considered the pictures obtained by mission 2003 to be of good
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" Robert Hotz, "Firing of900-Mile Russian Missile Spurs US Changes," Aviation Week,
20 February 1956, p. 27.
" "Is Russia Really Ahead in Missile Race?." US News and World Report, 4 May 1956,
p. 34.
'" OSA History, chap. 11, pp. 27-29 (TS Codeword): A. J. Goodpaster, Memorandum for
the Record, 21 June 1956, WHOSS, Alpha, DDEL (TS).
"' OSA History, chap. 11, p. 27 (TS Codeword); Mission folder 2003 (20 June 1956),
OSA records, job 67-B-328, box 7 (TS Codeword).