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The Dragon Lady
The following is a very interesting story that my friend and former SR-71 Blackbird pilot Dave Peters told me that I just have to share.
In complete secrecy, a team headed by Clarence L. “Kelly” Johnson at Lockheed’s “Skunk Works” in Burbank, Calif., designed and built the U-2 Dragon Lady to fly surveillance missions. With sailplane-like wings suited for the thin atmosphere above 55,000 feet (over 70,000 feet for later models), this single-engine aircraft made its first flight in August 1955. Entering operational service in 1956, its use remained secret until May 1, 1960, when a surface-to-air missile shot down a civilian-piloted U-2 on a reconnaissance flight over Soviet territory.
One of the most important U-2 missions took place on Oct. 14, 1962, when a U-2 piloted by Maj. Richard S. Heyser obtained the first photographs of Soviet offensive missile sites in Cuba. Eight days later, Maj. Rudolf Anderson Jr. was killed on a similar mission when his U-2 was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. U-2s have also been used for programs as diverse as mapping studies, atmospheric sampling and collecting crop and land management photographic data for the Department of Energy.
The first six CIA U-2 spy planes
There’s an urban legend surrounding the contract for the first six U-2s purchased by CIA.
Kelly Johnson was at his office and got a call from the CIA. He was told to meet a man at a certain restaurant in downtown Georgetown. They said he would be in the back and he would have a pink carnation one his lapel. They gave him a date and time. So, Johnson showed up and sure enough there is a shady looking character sitting in booth in the back.
The guy has on a fedora and a trench coat with a pink carnation in the lapel.
So, Johnson says he goes over and sits down and the guy just stares at him for about a minute. Then he says “we will take six for 30 million.” They just stare at each other then Johnson feels something against his leg and looks down. There is a large brown paper bag under the table and when he looks up the guy is gone. So, he looks in the bag and is bundles of 100,000 dollar bills. Johnson said his first thought was “Kelly you’re a*s is dead.” Downtown Georgetown (Washington DC) brown bag with 30 million in cash.
Unvouchered Government money
The CIA Director was the only federal government employee who can spend unvouchered Government money.
Peters recalls; ‘I obviously can’t prove the story but Kelly told it to me when I was just starting the program. He and Bill Parks were there for a ceremony dedicating Kelly Johnson Street at Beale. My backseater Ed Bethart and I were assigned to escort them. The only time he was under control was the actual ceremony. So, Ed and I had the unbelievable pleasure of escorting them anywhere Kelly wanted to go for about nine hours. The majority of that time the four of us alone.’
Be sure to check out Linda Sheffield Miller (Col Richard (Butch) Sheffield’s daughter, Col. Sheffield was an SR-71 Reconnaissance Systems Officer) Twitter Page Habubrats SR-71 and Facebook Page Born into the Wild Blue Yonder for awesome Blackbird’s photos and stories.
Photo credit: U.S. Air Force and David Peters
