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

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16
Chapter 1
Richard M. Bissell, Jr.
States might use against the Soviet Bloc in the event of another up­
rising such as the East Berlin riots of June 1953. Bissell quickly
concluded that there was not much hope for clandestine operations
against Bloc nations. As he remark,ed later: "I know I emerged from
that exercise feeling that very little could be done." This belief
would later make Bissell a leading advocate of technical rather than
human means of intelligence collection.
25
Bissell joined the Agency in late January 1954 and soon became
involved in coordination for the operation aimed a t overthrowing
Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbe1nz. He was, therefore very preoc­
cupied when Philip Strong approached him in mid-May 1954 with the
concept of the proposed spyplane from Lockheed. Bissell said that the
idea had merit and told Strong to get some topflight scientists to ad­
vise on the matter. Afterward he returned to the final planning for the
Guatemalan operation and promptly forgot about the CL-282.!
0
Meanwhile, Strong went about drumming up support for high-al­
titude overflight. In May 1954 he persuaded DCI Allen W. Dulles to
ask the Air Force to take the initiative in gaining approval for an
overflight of the Soviet guided-missile test range at Kapustin Yar.
Dulles's memorandum did not me,ntion the CL-282 or any of the
other proposed high-altitude aircraft. CIA and Air Force officials met
on several occasions to explore the ,overflight proposal, which the Air
Force finally turned down in October I 954. !'
Although Allen Dulles was willing to support an Air Force over­
flight of the Soviet Union, he was mot enthusiastic about the CIA un­
dertaking such a project. Few detaiils about Dulles's precise attitude
toward the proposed Lockheed reconnaissance aircraft are available,
but many who knew him believe that he did not want the CIA to be­
come involved in projects that belonged to the military, and the
Lockheed CL-282 had been designed for an Air Force requirement.
" Thomas Powers. The Man Who Kept the Secrets: Richard Helms and the CIA (New
York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1979). p. 79; Beschloss. Mayday. pp. 86-89.
,. Memorandum for H. Marshall Chadwell. Assistant Director/Scientific Intelligence.
from Chief. Support Staff, OSI. " Review of OSA Activities Concerned with Scientific and
Technical Collection Techniques:· 13 May 1955. p. 6. OSI (OSWR) records. job
S0R-0 1424. bo" I (S); Richard M. Bissell. Jr., interview by Donald E. Welzenbach. tape
recording. Farmington. Connecticut. 8 November 1984 {S).
" Memorandum for Richard M. Bissell. Speci,al Assistant to the Director for Planning and
Coordination. from Philip G. Strong, Chief. Operations Staff. OSI. --overflight of
Kapustin Yar.'' 15 October 1954. OSI (OSWR) records, job S0R-01424. bo" I (TS. down­
graded 10 S).
Secret