SIGNIFICANT OSA ACTIVITIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP33-02415A000800290025-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 19, 2002
• Sequence Number: 25
• Publication Date: August 25, 1962
• Content Type: MF

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NRO REVIEW COMPLETED
3206-64
Hof 10
5 AUG 1962
tty Director for Science and Technolo
ATtENTION
Signtf
ur request of 21 Au
in a Jeff statement of significant, past and present, 0SA
activities.
Attach*ea
P8/OSA
Distribution:
As Stated
forwarded herewith
instant Dirac
Activities)
(25 August 1964)
#1 &1#2 - Addressee (w/att )
Ali/OSA Watt)
#4 - PS/08A (w/att)
#5 - PS/OSA (w/att)
#6 - R /OSA (wo/att)
vwwr '
Excluded foil automatic TOP $,
.witiee
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Attachment to
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1.. The Office of Special Activities, Deputy Director
for Science & Technology ( A-DD/S&T): was formed for the
purpose of conceiving, developing, producing, and operating
integrated covert photographic and electronic intelligence
collection system utilizing sophisticated and advanced
scientific and technological instrumentation and vehicles.
The, organization is comprised of a small contingent of
scientists and engineers working closely with support
specialists (administrative,, contractual, peruovael,, finance, ,
2, bang the more significant accomplishments of this
efficiency in carrying out its assigned miss
tions officors)
and industry for the Purpose of achieving sazi speed and
cations, see+curity, and o
t of the V-2, the A--l2.
and the CORMA Satellite Program.
3 The develo, nt i r +k- "
..........~.,.a uea~a 3u xnee snort upon of only
eight mouths. In addition to U-2 development, c-SA has
continued its re$ponffiibility for program safageewn
t iona l contra 3 .
70P saOaar
p -due t
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The A-12 is
+ the techniea
to develop a folio a superao
with the adoa ed S haracteristl&, njp +u-
"A wOULd not be in GI'i5tO G, today.
Unite
a World-Wide nt$aisarMac a Capability
land base.
of their of forte.
ire is little doubt that without the fortgIght of
S.
the U-2 Program motivated
applieations in
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Will be attain: in early 1965
.
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ONA Subsequently
adceptable Intelligence otograp taken fr
of this effort has
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7 The office of cal Activities
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to Obtain Indications intelligence
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Law./&y
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The Scientific and Technical Collectors
The work of the Deputy Director for Research is concerned
with highly technical and sophisticated intelligence collection.
In the Office of Special Activities under the Deputy Director for
Research there has been brought together an unusual aggregation of out-
standing specialists for the purpose of conceiving, developing, producing
and operating an integrated intelligence collection system utilizing
scientific and technological achievements of the most sophisticated and
advanced nature. This unusual grouping of people contains a small
cadre of scientists and engineers, skilled communicators, security
officers, materiel and other logistical experts, financial specialists,
accomplished operations officers, dedicated and resourceful administra-
tors all integrates into a single organization for the purpose of achieving
the maximum speed, efficiency and security in translating the concepts
into successful collection operations.
The outstanding qualities of this organization have been recognizeu
by Dr. Edwin Land and Dr. James Killian, two of the nation's most
respected scientists. They have pointed out in reference to the Office ui
Special Activities that there has been assembled an organization for the
design and production of a very advanced vehicle, the development ui -11
special features, the development of highly sophisticated sensin_y, arc.
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recording devices and for other things, and that in the opinion of these.
men this type of an organization was non-existent anywhere in the woric.,
and furthermore was so unique and valuable that it must be preserved.
They stated that it was beyond their imagination that Khrushchev or any
foreign country could believe we had assembled under one management
the type of competence that has resulted in the production of this new
system.
Among the more significant accomplishments of this unusual
group has been the development of the U-2. The development itself
was an outstanding technological achievement going from drawing boa','..i
to first flight in eight months. The execution of the U-Z reconnaissance:
overflights necessitated the finest type of team work among such specialists
as physicists, electrical engineers, meteorologists, logisticians, com-
municators and operations planners. Thus the same element within the
Agency responsible for the development itself has also had the continued
responsibility for program management, product improvement, command
and control.
Illustrating the collective expertise of this whole group rofes-
sionals has been the senior operations planning officer. This officer
knows the U-2 in every respect of its design, technology and capal..
to such an extent that taking this knowledge coupled with the inputs o
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weather experts, target planners and others, he has been able to plan
many hundreds of U-2 missions including alternate as well as primary
routes with such skill that there has never been a flight failure due to
fuel exhaustion or any other defect in planning. Indeed, his planning has
been so expert that on the average fuel reserves at the end of a mission
have been 10% or less of capacity manifesting a maximum realization
of the aircraft's capability for each given set of circumstances.
Intelligence achievements through scientific and technical means
are far too numerous and varied to recount in any detail. These have
included everything from very small concealed devices to large mobile
platforms and major ground installations. They have covered everything
from various sensing devices to techniques for measuring phenomena
associated with rocket firings to re-entry. Some have been active and
others passive.
One of the most recent and current projects that demonstrate the
resourcef,.:'ness of some of the Agency's scientific intelligence officers
working in collaboration with intelligence analysts and other methods of
collection is one employing the use of balloons of such configuration
to produce predetermined radar cross-section measurements. Taking
advantage of natural air currents and a knowledge of their behavior, it
has been possible to experiment with different cross-sections at di. r,?nt
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altitudes and distances while watching through other electronic means
the Soviet air defense reactions to the approach and subsequent tracking
of these objects as they drift toward and over Soviet territory. Such
an operation must of course take into account not only the technological
considerations but be so conducted as to appear legitimate weather
observations and avoid the arousing of suspicion or undue concern. This
project added significantly to our knowledge of the deployment and
capability of Soviet air defense. The operational usefulness of such a
project in addition to the basic intelligence of a target country's
.capabilities is obvious.
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