Historical Dictionary of United States Intelligence

raphy of little intelligence value. Only 34 balloons succeeded in ob-

taining useful photographs.

In addition to the low rate of success, Genetrix caused an interna-

tional outcry, not only from targeted countries but also from interna-

tional aviation authorities, who asserted that the balloons posed a

danger to civilian aircraft. The outcry also put the nascent U-2proj-

ect in jeopardy. Furthermore, the Soviet Union collected several bal-

loons, cameras, and transmitters and put them on display in Moscow

for the international press. This Soviet propaganda coup convinced

President Dwight D. Eisenhowerto discontinue the program on 7

February 1956.

GEOSPATIAL INTELLIGENCE (GEOINT). Geospatial intelli-

gence is animated renditions of imagery intelligence(IMINT) and

geospatial data, which allow users to visualize inaccessible terrain.

Managed by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA),

such products reportedly have helped solve long-standing border dis-

putes, such as those between Peru and Ecuador and Israel and South

Lebanon. They have also supported peace treaties, aided disaster re-

lief efforts, developed safer commercial flight charts, and remapped

the world.

GLOBAL HAWK (SYSTEM).Global Hawk is a high altitude, long en-

durance unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV) that provides military field

commanders with high resolution, near-real-time imagery intelligence

(IMINT) of ground targets. The program is funded by the Defense Air-

borne Reconnaissance Office (DARO) and managed by the Defense

Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the air force.

GOLD (OPERATION).Operation Gold was a daring Cold War espi-

onage operation in the mid-1950s, in which American and British in-

telligence agents tunneled half a mile into East Berlin and set up a lis-

tening post to intercept Russian and East German military

communications. Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) Allen W.

Dullescalled the tunnel operation “one of the most valuable and daring

projects ever undertaken.” However, George Blake, a British intelli-

gence officer who was on the KGB’spayroll, probably passed details of

the operation to the Soviet KGB. This suggests that the Soviets were

aware of the entire operation even before it started and were possibly

GOLD (OPERATION)•81

05-398 (2) Dictionary.qxd 10/20/05 6:27 AM Page 81