Book Description

Proceedings of a symposium on the U.S. & British overflight effort conducted between 1950 & the end of 1956. Organized by public historians from the Intelligence Community & DoD, its purpose was to shed light on an important, often misrepresented & little known aspect of the Cold War, & to recognize the veterans of these operations & collect their memoirs for the historic record. The memoirs in Vol. I add significantly to the history of peacetime strategic reconnaissance & dispel popular presumptions of an Air Force or military conspiracy. Appendixes in Vol. II include: biographies of contributors; overflight documents; aircraft characteristics; historical background of overflights in Asia; selected readings; & Eisenhower's legacy.