Birth of Air Force Satellite Reconnaissance: Facts, Recollections and Reflections

This history of Safsp is dedicated to all those men and women who fought the Cold War, in silence - from above. No organization is better at gathering overhead intelligence than the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (Nro). Today's Nro grew out of 3 organizations: Af, Cia, and Navy. The Af office for satellite reconnaissance was called the Secretary of Air Force's Office of Special Projects [Safsp]. This monograph describes the birth of Air Force satellite reconnaissance. When Safsp was created in response to Presidential recognition of a national imperative, 4 tenets captured the sense of urgency: direct access to national leadership, covert management/operations, highest national priority, and rapid procurement.