The Black Vault has digitally preserved online his MANY years worth of work collecting this historical collection. It is now available in its entirety below.

Here is a breakdown of what you will find in this collection, as written by the researcher:

1) My AFHRA microfilm roll collection.

Please note some of my files are broken up into several “parts”. This because I received a paper copy and scanned it, but my scanner only can scan a limited number of pages as a PDF such as 50 or 150 pages of a 500+ page document.  

2) My ADC Historical Studies collection

3) My RAND Studies collection (much downloaded from the RAND website before they took them down).

4) My information on the May 22, 1958 Nike site NY-53 missile explosion that killed 10 people.

5) My NORAD historical summaries FOIA releases

6) My NARA RG 342 AFHRA microfilm roll collection references. Many are not listed on the Air Force History Index website.

The information that is archived here totals 468,170 pages, and stretches more than 100GB in size.

Each folder below will open in a new window, and allow for file browsing. In the future, there will be a larger effort to categorize and index this collection. Please, CONTACT ME, if you’d like to take part in that effort.

But until then, the collection is below.

Document Archive

The begin exploring the collection, the links below are the “top level” domains. Once you click on them, a new window will open with the contents of that particular directory. To return here, simply close that window.

• ADC Command Historical Studies (Select 1-40)/

• AFHRA Microfilm Roll Research Collection/

• NORAD FOIA releases/

• Nike Site NY-53 Middletown NJ May 22 1958 explosion/

• RAND studies/

• RG 342 NARA FOIA Releases (AFHRA Microfilm Roll References)/

The post The AFHRA Collection: A 468,170 Page Air Force History Archive first appeared on The Black Vault.

James McDivitt is an American former test pilot, United States Air Force pilot, aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut who flew in the Gemini and Apollo programs. He commanded the Gemini 4 flight during which Ed White performed the first U.S. spacewalk, and later the Apollo 9 flight which was the first crewed flight test of the Lunar Module and the complete set of Apollo flight hardware. He later became Manager of Lunar Landing Operations and was the Apollo Spacecraft Program Manager from 1969 to 1972.

In 1987, the U.S. Air Force conducted this oral history interview, over the course of two days starting on April 16, 1987, in Anaheim, California.

It was received by The Black Vault from AFHRA.

Document Archive

U.S. Air Force Oral History Interview: Brigadier General James A. McDivitt, Conducted 1987 [187 Pages, 52.5MB]

The post U.S. Air Force Oral History Interview: Brigadier General James A. McDivitt, Conducted 1987 first appeared on The Black Vault.

The Air Force Historical Research Agency is the repository for Air Force historical documents. The Agency’s collection, begun in Washington, DC, during World War II, moved in 1949 to Maxwell Air Force Base, the site of Air University, to provide research facilities for professional military education students, the faculty, visiting scholars, and the general public. It consists today of over 70,000,000 pages devoted to the history of the service, and represents the world’s largest and most valuable organized collection of documents on US military aviation.

Within their archive, they have preserved an unknown number of records onto Microfilm, then converted those to .PDF digitized collections. This page, is an archive of ONLY SOME of these digitized microfilm reels that have been collected by or donated to The Black Vault

** Special thanks to FOIA researcher Cory Newman, who has contributed much of his own collection, that is encompassed into the below list. With his help, and the help of others who have donated their private collections; an archive like this would not be possible in its current form. CONTACT The Black Vault if you have other full reels you’d like to donate to the below.

Document Archive

Below, you will find a full index of records by microfilm reel number. Film reels can consist of THOUSANDS of pages, and contain various topics and documents, sometimes, unrelated to each other. Although this seems like a somewhat rough method of archiving, the below records can be cross-referenced with “AirForceHistoryIndex.org“, a website which has painstakingly taken a database (as of 2001) of AFHRA records, and made a searchable index. This resource is not affiliated with The Black Vault, but links are integrated below to get a quick index to what is on the film reel archived here.

Note: Some reels are marked “partial” as only a partial number of pages from the reel has been released. Since automatic page numbering machines are often inaccurate, it is likely that not all partial reels are labeled as such. If you feel you found a partial reel that is not complete, feel free to contact The Black Vault. Keep in mind, the total number of pages numbered, due to page numbers being skipped, may not reflect the ACTUAL number of pages on any given reel. 

Digitized Microfilm Reels by Number

47214 (partial reel) (Download Reel [309 Pages, 65MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

49775 (Download Reel [1,572 Pages, 421MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

49776 (Download Reel [1,860 Pages, 589MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4012 (Download Reel [1,610 Pages, 343MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4013 (Download Reel [2,185 Pages, 505MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4014 (Download Reel [2,386 Pages, 436MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4015 (Download Reel [1,519 Pages, 284MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4016 (Download Reel [1,981 Pages, 370MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4017 (Download Reel [2,010 Pages, 531MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4018 (Download Reel [1,881 Pages, 402MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4019 (Download Reel [1,455 Pages, 315MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4020 (Download Reel [1,831 Pages, 436MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4021 (Download Reel [1,575 Pages, 371MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4028 (Download Reel [1,641 Pages, 490MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4029 (Download Reel [1,346 Pages, 358MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4030 (Download Reel [1,599 Pages, 500MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4031 (Download Reel [1,448 Pages, 364MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4032 (Download Reel [2,049 Pages, 640MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4033 (Download Reel [2,297 Pages, 769MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4034 (Download Reel [1,909 Pages, 564MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4035 (Download Reel [1,117 Pages, 367MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4036 (Download Reel [1,818 Pages, 675MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A4037 (Download Reel [1,639 Pages, 460MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A5830 (Download Reel [2,019 Pages, 440MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A5831 (Download Reel [2,344 Pages, 818MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A5832 (Download Reel [1,922 Pages, 478MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A5836 (Download Reel [1,764 Pages, 464MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A5850 (Download Reel [1,928 Pages, 565MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A5851 (Download Reel [1,732 Pages, 545MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

A5852 (Download Reel [2,026 Pages, 507MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

B0605 (Download Reel [2,215 Pages, 522MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

B2415 (Download Reel [1,569 Pages, 401MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

K0611 (Download Reel [1,652 Pages, 343MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

K1054 (Download Reel [1,492 Pages, 452MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

K1141 (Download Reel [1,492 Pages, 452MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

K1262 (Download Reel [1,306 Pages, 223MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

K1264 (partial reel) (Download Reel [52 Pages, 9.9MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

K3623 (Download Reel [1,121 Pages, 230MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

K4002 (Download Reel [1,542 Pages, 470MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

K4003 (Download Reel [1,400 Pages, 370MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

K4004 (Download Reel [1,728 Pages, 370MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

K4006 (Download Reel [1,451 Pages, 358MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

K4007 (Download Reel [876 Pages, 277MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

K4008 (Download Reel [1,835 Pages, 752MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

K4009 (Download Reel [856 Pages, 178MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

K4010 (Download Reel [762 Pages, 187MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

K4011 (Download Reel [907 Pages, 200MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

K4012 (Download Reel [1,568 Pages, 383MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0190 (Download Reel [2,233 Pages, 535MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0196 (Download Reel [1,726 Pages, 396MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0245 (partial reel)  (Download Reel [519 Pages, 98.7MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0325 (Download Reel [963 Pages, 238MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0326 (Download Reel [1,780 Pages, 354MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0463 (partial reel)  (Download Reel [209 Pages, 61.5MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0538 (Download Reel [2,539 Pages, 664MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0539 (Download Reel [1,871 Pages, 513MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0558 (Download Reel [1,854 Pages, 387MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0559 (Download Reel [2,327 Pages, 572MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0576 (Download Reel [2,493 Pages, 579MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0577 (Download Reel [2,422 Pages, 622MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0598 (Download Reel [2,162 Pages, 387MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0644 (Download Reel [1,642 Pages, 327MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0645 (partial reel) (Download Reel [905 Pages, 185MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0657 (Download Reel [2,452 Pages, 457MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0659 (Download Reel [1,743 Pages, 383MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0660 (Download Reel [1,573 Pages, 413MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0682 (Download Reel [1,929 Pages, 388MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0710 (Download Reel [2,205 Pages, 490MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0723 (partial reel) (Download Reel [918 Pages, 188MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0833 (Download Reel [1,594 Pages, 336MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0834 (Download Reel [1,688 Pages, 392MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0836 (partial reel) (Download Reel [1,371 Pages, 319MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0865 (partial reel) (Download Reel [232 Pages, 68.9MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0929 (Download Reel [1,511 Pages, 313MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0932 (Download Reel [1,774 Pages, 368MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0933 (Download Reel [1,704 Pages, 315MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0984 (Download Reel [2,032 Pages, 438MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

M0986 (Download Reel [1,827 Pages, 360MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0179 (partial reel) (Download Reel [825 Pages, 173MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0180 (partial reel) (Download Reel [433 Pages, 180MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0197 (Download Reel [1,647 Pages, 343MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0198 (partial reel) (Download Reel [691 Pages, 131MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0216 (partial reel) (Download Reel [1,159 Pages, 261MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0238 (partial reel) (Download Reel [1,050 Pages, 234MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0267 (Download Reel [1,602 Pages, 330MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0268 (partial reel) (Download Reel [750 Pages, 163MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0269 (partial reel) (Download Reel [1,145 Pages, 252MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0285 (Download Reel [1,629 Pages, 318MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0288 (Download Reel [1,520 Pages, 303MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0305 (Download Reel [1,786 Pages, 361MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0306 (Download Reel [1,731 Pages, 349MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0307 (partial reel) (Download Reel [802 Pages, 185MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0366 (Download Reel [1,731 Pages, 363MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0424 (Download Reel [1,948 Pages, 461MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0503 (Download Reel [1,695 Pages, 313MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0504 (partial reel) (Download Reel [754 Pages, 154MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

N0622 (Download Reel [1,980 Pages, 497MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

P0163 (Download Reel [1,727 Pages, 361MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

P0379 (Download Reel [1,409 Pages, 311MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

P0408 (Download Reel [2,152 Pages, 413MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

P0409 (partial reel) (Download Reel [436 Pages, 92.7MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

P0410 (Download Reel [1,714 Pages, 338MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

P0438 (Download Reel [1,674 Pages, 406MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

P0461 (Download Reel [1,453 Pages, 291MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

P0462 (Download Reel [1,849 Pages, 379MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

P0536 (Download Reel [593 Pages, 142MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

P0537 (Download Reel [2,184 Pages, 464MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

P0538 (Download Reel [2,107 Pages, 427MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

P0563 (Download Reel [1,482 Pages, 282MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

P0577 (Download Reel [1,743 Pages, 451MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

P0602 (Download Reel [1,436 Pages, 276MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

P0733 (Download Reel [1,513 Pages, 331MB] | Index of Microfilm Reel [external link])

The post Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA) Document Collection first appeared on The Black Vault.

Here are the notes, as listed on the microfilm for this record, as written by the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA):

“Recognized requirement for night fighter aircraft prior to attack on Pearl Harbor HI. Northrop P-61 Black Widow made first flight on 26 May 1942. F-82 aircraft offered temporary solution after World War II. Northrop created F-89 in 1947; production halted on F-87. Problems with F-89 prompted transfer of F-94B aircraft from Air Training Command (ATC) to Air Defense Command (ADC). Decision to use Falcon (GAR-1) air to air missile on interceptor required modifying aircraft. F-86 aircraft converted to interceptor role. 1954 interceptor later designated F-102 aircraft. Valley committee recommended north American receive contract to manufacture F-102 accessories. Saville board declared Hughes aircraft winner of competition. Convair declared winner of airframe competition. Debated advantages of delta wing for high-speed aircraft. F-103 aircraft product of same design competition that produced F-102. Lockheed developed F-104 aircraft. F-101B resulted from design competition held immediately after World War II. ADC received first F-106A aircraft in 1959. Plans for third generation jet interceptor included long range interceptor (lrix/F-108). Medium range interceptor (MRIX) first known as F-102B and later F-106. F-103 aircraft considered research vehicle.”

The following document was donated to The Black Vault by FOIA researcher Cory Newman. He spent YEARS collecting and researching these, and has allowed The Black Vault to archive parts of his collection. The records have been converted (to the best of a computer’s ability as the records are older and in parts harder to read) to a searchable format within the PDF, and uploaded below.

Document Archive

 Aircraft in Air Defense, 1946-1960 by Richard McMullen (ADC Historical Study No. 12) [145 Pages, 39.7MB]

The post Aircraft in Air Defense, 1946-1960 by Richard McMullen (ADC Historical Study No. 12) first appeared on The Black Vault.

Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary augmentation to the regular Air Force while it rebuilt itself under wartime conditions. Later, during the 1950s, it was a training force for reservists with no prior military service. ConAC provided peacetime airlift missions for the Air Force. It was mobilized twice in 1961 and 1962 by president Kennedy for the Berlin and Cuban Missile Crisis. Lastly, it was used by president Lyndon B. Johnson for airlift operations into the Dominican Republic and South Vietnam. It was inactivated in 1968 and replaced by Headquarters, Air Force Reserve (AFRES).

Below, you will find numerous histories pertaining to ConAC.

The Black Vault wishes to thank Cory Newman, a FOIA researcher, investigator, and collector of these records. He has graciously donated them to The Black Vault for preservation and online distribution.

Document Archive

 The Continental Air Command and the Korean War, June to December 1950 [147 Pages, 37.1MB] –

 REEL A4028 [1,640 Pages, 490MB] – Continental Air Command History, December 1948 – December 1949 (Vol. 1 – Page 594) | Continental Air Command History, December 1948 – December 1949
 REEL A4037 [1,638 Pages, 460MB] – Continental Air Command, August 1949 – October 1949
 REEL A4029 [1,346 Pages, 358MB] – Continental Air Command History, December 1948 – December 1949, (Volumes 2-5)
 REEL A4030 [1,599 Pages, 500MB] – Continental Air Command History, December 1948 – December 1949 (Page 3, Volumes 5-7) | Continental Air Command History, January 1950 – June 1950 (Volume 1, Page 1,270)
 REEL A4031 [1,448 Pages, 364MB] – Continental Air Command History, January 1950 – June 1950 (Volumes 2-5)
 REEL A4032 [2,048 Pages, 640MB] – Continental Air Command History, January 1950 – June 1950 (Volumes 6-7)
 REEL A4033 [2,297 Pages, 769MB] – Continental Air Command History, June 1949
| Continental Air Command History, March 1950
 REEL A4034 [1,909 Pages, 564MB] – Various CONAC Training Histories, Circa 1949-1950
 REEL A4035 [1,117 Pages, 367MB] – Sweet Briar, 1950
 REEL A4036 [1,818 Pages, 675MB] – Exercise Swarmer History, March 1950 | ORT Conference, April 1950 | Air Reserve Officers, March 1949 – February 1950 | Air Force ROTC, 1948-1949 | Air Science 2, April 1949 | Air Armament, May 1949 – June 1949 | AF Communications, April 1949 | Radiological Defense Course, September 1949 | Criminal Investigation, April 1949

The post Continental Air Command (ConAC) Histories first appeared on The Black Vault.