Cryptonym: OXCART
3/29/62 Memorandum for the Record: "Considerations of OXCART: Responsibility for all phases of OXCART are to follow the direct supervision of Secretary of Defense and DCI by agreement with the OD, Charyk as AR/Sec.Def, will be executive head of NRO (National Reconnaissance Office), DD/R will be his deputy and by assignment will be responsible for all phases of OXCART...NSC directive agreed OXCART tasks are responsibility of Special Group and question of augmentation is a matter for Special Group, not CIA, to decide."
104-10306-10015: DCI MEETINGS WITH THE PRESIDENT 01 APRIL- 30 JUNE 1963
04/16/63: Memorandum for the file from John McCone: Subject: Meeting with the President - 5.30 - 15 Apr 1963 in Palm Beach, Florida: Page 2: ...7. Advised the President of the study of future satellite photography which I had initiated. It was obvious from our brief discussion on this subject that the use of the OXCART over Soviet territory was of great concern to him and he was most hopeful of improving satellite photography to a point where it would suffice our intelligence needs..." - - - 2022 release, page 11: https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2022/104-10306-10015.pdf
5/2/64, Memorandum for the Record by DCI John McCone: "The new CIA-developed high-altitude high-speed OXCART reconnaissance aircraft, later known as the SR-71 Blackbird, would "not be operational at the design speed of 3.2 Mach and 85,000 to 90,000 feet for another few months. The CORONA satellite system was judged to be "not sufficient to give us useful photography." At p. 675: "During the meeting there was considerable discussion of the use of the Oxcart...its presence would be known because it would appear on the radar and the sonic boom would be audible, it would be more disturbing to the people of Cuba than U-2s because they could not see the U-2s but they would hear the Oxcart...No decision was reached."
Wayne Madsen, "The Almost Classified Guide to CIA Front Companies" (2017, p. 252.
"Perkin-Elmer (CIA contractor): Manufactured camera system for Project OXCART, the CIA's SR-71 program." Perkin-Elmer (CIA Front Company) Based in Norwalk, Connecticut. Manufactured camera system for project Oxcart, the CIA's SR-71 program and U-2 photography, Project AUTOMAT.