Trust but Verify

the long version

"This book documents the role of imagery analysis in the Cold War and shows the reader how information derived from imagery came to influence U.S. policy. It focuses on America's efforts to assess the Soviet Union's strategic economic and military capabilities in the aftermath of World War II when American leaders realized the limits of their knowledge. Initial efforts to photograph U.S.S.R. territory from converted bombers proved both unsuccessful and highly provocative and prompted the United States to develop specialized reconnaissance systems. Beginning with the U-2 in the mid-1950s and continuing with a series of increasingly sophisticated imaging satellites, this study demonstrates how the United States eventually was able to accurately appraise the military forces of the Soviet Union."--BOOK JACKET.