How The Gary Powers U-2 Incident Really Unfolded
The U-2 spy plane was supposed to disintegrate in a crash. It was supposed to leave no debris that could be traced back to the United States, and the pilot was expected to the be killed. Nothing was meant to survive a fall from 70,000 feet with secrets intact. It was, in effect, a security measure U-2 program managers were banking on. But then one did. Francis Gary Powers and his U-2 survived being downed over the Soviet Union on May 1, 1960. The famous May Day Incident had effects on the Cold War beyond what anyone could have imagined.
This is part 3 in a series about the U-2, which is part of a larger look at Cold War aerial espionage. Part 1 about its genesis is here. Part 2 about the political challenge of deciding to fly it is here.
Operation Grand Slam
When 1960 dawned, Director of Central Intelligence Allen Dulles was desperate for information on Soviet SS-6 missile installations, but President Ike Eisenhower was wary of continued violations of Soviet Airspace. The U-2, the plane designed to be out of range of Soviet fighters and missiles, had been spotted on radar on its first mission, and Soviet pilots were getting more aggressive in their attempts to intercept it.
In talking over possible flights with Eisenhower, Dulles and head of the U-2 program Richard…
