Spy Stories. The U2 Spy Plane Shot Down Over Russia | The Francis Gary Powers Cold War Affair
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Spy Stories. The U2 Spy Plane Shot Down Over Russia | The Francis Gary Powers Cold War Affair

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Spy Stories. The U2 Spy Plane Shot Down Over Russia | The Francis Gary Powers Cold War Affair

The U2 Spy Plane shot down over Russia. The Francis Gary Powers Cold War affair. Original reportage.
Francis Gary Powers was born to Oliver and Ida Powers on August 17, 1929, in Burdine, Kentucky, and raised in Pound, Virginia, during the Great Depression. He graduated from Grundy High School, Virginia in 1946 and four years later graduated from Milligan College, Tennessee; he then enlisted as an Aviation Cadet, USAF.
Powers received his wings and commission in December 1952 and flew F-84s until he was recruited in May 1956 to become a civilian U-2 pilot for the CIA. He began high-altitude surveillance and over-flights of the USSR in 1956, which provided vital intelligence photographs of Russian military activity to the Eisenhower administration. On May 1, 1960, Powers was shot down over Sverdlovsk, USSR, by a newly developed SA-2 missile. Powers was captured, sentenced, and held prisoner until his exchange on February 10, 1962, for Russian spy Colonel Rudolph Abel. Although Captain Powers was criticized at the time (some believed he should have died rather than allowed himself to be captured), 1998 declassified documents show that he followed orders by maintaining a cooperative attitude, gave out no secret information, and refused to denounce the United States of America. As a result, Russian intelligence gained no vital information from him.
As depicted in Steven Spielberg’s 2015 movie “Bridge of Spies,” Powers was exchanged for Soviet Spy Colonel Rudolph Abel on February 10, 1962. Following his return to the United States, he was extensively debriefed and cleared by the CIA and shown “to be a fine young man performing well under dangerous circumstances” by the Senate Select Committee assembled to investigate the U-2 Incident. Within months of his return home, his marriage fell apart, and he divorced his first wife. In October 1963, he married Claudia “Sue” Edwards. Powers flew for Lockheed as a U-2 test pilot from 1963 until early 1970. In 1970, he published his book, “Operation Overflight,” which detailed his account of the U-2 Incident. From 1972 to 1977, he flew for radio and television stations in Los Angeles, doing on-air weather, news, and traffic reports. He was killed in a helicopter crash on August 1, 1977, in Los Angeles, California, while working for KNBC News. Powers is the father of Dee Powers and Francis Gary Powers, Jr. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

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14 Comments

  4. @mikem.s.1183

    Many, many thanks for this documentary.

    I have been fascinated by Gary's ordeal since my early teens. This is gold.

  5. @user-hs1qq1rs9d

    Kapitalny film z zapartym tchem słuchalem tej opowiesci oczywiscie znałem historie Garego Powersa on nawet był w Polsce uwarzany za bohatera !!!❤

  7. @ardeladimwit

    "tail section of the fuselage attaches with only three bolts"– say that to Boeing critics re: plug doors.

  9. @deanegger2396

    79-80, I had the opportunity to be part of the U-2 crew. It was under NASA, during the summer it would be TDY in Alaska. It was heavily guarded with security and inspections when you entered into the area. It was a beautiful site to see it take off.

  10. @mochabear88

    ty, love the u-2. i think the video also restarted unnecessarily around the 9 min mark

  11. @christopherrobinson7541

    The SAM-2 missiles did not directly shoot-down the U-2 aircraft. The avoidance maneuvers taken resulted in the departure from flight, which resulted in the break-up of the aircraft. The pilot elected not to eject, because he feared that the aircraft was rigged to self-destruct, which was probably true. Other aircraft were found to be configured in this manner.

  12. @djpalindrome

    Those were the days when journalists were competent and responsible; not spoiled petulant children with an axe to grind

  13. @BenHawkins-yy2pv

    Fletcher Prouty served as Chief of Special Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President John F. Kennedy. he will tell you the real story.

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