1960 U-2 incident
The 1960 U-2 incident was precipitated during the Cold
War on 1st of May 1960, during the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower and during
the leadership of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, when a United States U-2 spy
plane was shot down over the airspace of the Soviet Union.
The United
States government at first denied the plane's purpose and mission, but then was
forced to admit its role as a covert surveillance aircraft when the Soviet
government produced its intact remains and surviving pilot, Francis Gary Powers,
as well as photos of military bases in Russia taken by Powers. Coming roughly
two weeks before the scheduled opening of an East–West summit in Paris, the
incident was a great embarrassment to the United States and prompted a marked
deterioration in its relations with the Soviet Union. Powers was convicted of
espionage and sentenced to three years of imprisonment plus seven years of hard
labor, but he was released on February 10th, 1962 during a prisoner exchange
with Soviet officer Rudolf Abel
Video: http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/u2-spy-incident
The 1960 U-2 incident was precipitated during the Cold
War on 1st of May 1960, during the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower and during
the leadership of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, when a United States U-2 spy
plane was shot down over the airspace of the Soviet Union.
The United
States government at first denied the plane's purpose and mission, but then was
forced to admit its role as a covert surveillance aircraft when the Soviet
government produced its intact remains and surviving pilot, Francis Gary Powers,
as well as photos of military bases in Russia taken by Powers. Coming roughly
two weeks before the scheduled opening of an East–West summit in Paris, the
incident was a great embarrassment to the United States and prompted a marked
deterioration in its relations with the Soviet Union. Powers was convicted of
espionage and sentenced to three years of imprisonment plus seven years of hard
labor, but he was released on February 10th, 1962 during a prisoner exchange
with Soviet officer Rudolf Abel
Video: http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/u2-spy-incident