Approved for Release: 2013/06/25
Secret NOFORN
Chapter 3
119
[figure]
at Almaza, where he filmed neatly arranged rows of Egyptian military aircraft. Continuing past Cairo to film another airfield, [Hall] turned southeast and then north to fly along the Nile, again crossing directly over Almaza. The photography from this leg of the mission revealed the burning wreckage of the Egyptian aircraft. During the short period of time that had passed between [Hall’s two] passes, a combined Anglo-French air armada had attacked the airbase. When shown the before and after photos of Almaza, President Eisenhower told Arthur Lundahl: “Ten-minute reconnaissance, now that’s a goal to shoot for!”⁵⁴ Eisenhower was pleased with the aerial photography but
---
⁵⁴ Lundahl and Brugioni interview (TS Codeword); Beschloss (Mayday, p. 138) mistakenly identifies this quote as coming from the British, but they did not receive copies of these photos.
U-2 photography of Egyptian airbase at Almaza, 29 October 1956
Secret
Approved for Release: 2013/06/25