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

Text

This text came with the file. It may have mistakes. When the text and the image disagree, the image is right.

86
Secret NOFORN
Chapter 2
Photograph of Dodonovo Atomic
Energy complex taken by a
Project GENETRIX balloon
All of this publicity and protest led President Eisenhower to con­
clude that ··the balloons gave more legitimate grounds for irritation
than could be matched by the good obtained from them," and h,e or­
dered the project halted. On 7 February 1956 Secretary of State
Dulles informed the Soviet Union that no more "weather research"
balloons would be released. but he did not offer an apology for the
h
;n
ft .
over ,g ts.
Despite the furor caused by GENETRIX. Air Force Chief of
Staff Twining proposed yet another balloon project only five weeks
later, in mid-March 1956. This project would employ even higher fly­
ing balloons than GENETRIX and would be ready in 18 rnoinths.
President Eisenhower informed the Air Force. however, that he was
··not interested in any more balloons.··
1
'
'" Andrew J. Goo<lpastcr. Memorandum for th.: R.:i:ord. •• 10 Fcbrnary 1956 Confonmcc of
Joint Chids of Scaff with thc President ... WHOSS. Alpha. DDEL (TS. dcclassiticd 1980):
St.:phcn E. Ambrose. Eiserzhmn:r. The Pri:sid,:111 vol. 2 (Ncw York: Simon and Schuster.
1984). p. J10.
" Quoted in Ambrose:, £isenltm,·a: Tiu: Pri:sidi:111. p. J 10.
See,et