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

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Set1 et N6F8RN
Chapter 3
Semipa/atinsk Nuclear
Weapons Proving Ground,
22 August 1957
part of the world." ,s, The Soviet announcement made the intelligence
community want even more information on Tyuratam, and a second
U-2 piloted by Edwin K. Jones flew over the area on 28 August 1957,
just one week after the Soviet ICBM launch. This mission obtained
excellent venical photographs of the main launch complex. and
photointerpreters soon determined that the Soviets had only one
launchpad at Tyuratam. The base was not photographed again until 9
July 1959, at which time it still had only one launch pad, although
two more were under construction."
5
On 20 and 21 August 1957, U-2s conducted the first overflights
of the Soviet nuclear testing grounds al Semipalatinsk, north-north­
west of Lake Balkhash. The first mission. piloted by Sammy V. C.
Snider, passed over part of the provi ng grounds, flew on to
Novokuznetsk, and then proceeded to Tomsk, where it began its re­
turn leg that included coverage of a very large uranium-processing fa­
cility at the new city of Berezovskiy. In the second mission, James
Cherbonneaux flew directly over the Semipalatinsk proving grounds
only four hours before a half-megaton device was detonated. In fact,
the U-2 unknowingly photographed the aircraft that was to drop the
"' .. Is Russia A~ad in Missil.! Raet.'... US News and World Report. 6 September 1957. pp.
30-3.3.
" Mission fokkrs 4058 (28 August 1957) an<l 4125 (9 July 1959). OSA recor<ls. job
67-8-972. boxes 8 and 11 (TS Codeword).
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