Powers incident

E30123

The Powers incident refers to the 1960 Cold War episode in which American U-2 spy pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down over the Soviet Union, triggering a major international diplomatic crisis.

Aliases (1)

Statements (47)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Cold War incident
international diplomatic crisis
aircraftUsed Lockheed U-2
airDefenseSystemInvolved Soviet surface-to-air missiles
alsoKnownAs 1960 U-2 incident
U-2 incident
altitudeOfFlight high-altitude reconnaissance level
cause U.S. high-altitude reconnaissance flight over Soviet territory
conflict Cold War
countryInvolved Soviet Union
United States
exchangeDate 1962-02-10
exchangeLocation Glienicke Bridge, Berlin
genre espionage incident
hasPart U.S.–Soviet diplomatic confrontation
capture of pilot Francis Gary Powers
shootdown of a U-2 reconnaissance aircraft
hasSubject U.S.–Soviet summit diplomacy
aerial surveillance
international law and sovereignty
historicalSignificance example of risks of strategic reconnaissance
key turning point in Cold War diplomacy
impact increased public awareness of aerial reconnaissance
setback for Eisenhower administration foreign policy
intelligenceAgencyInvolved Central Intelligence Agency
laterDevelopment prisoner exchange of Francis Gary Powers for Rudolf Abel
legalOutcome conviction of Francis Gary Powers for espionage
trial of Francis Gary Powers in the Soviet Union
location near Sverdlovsk, Soviet Union
mediaCoverage extensive international press coverage
militaryBranchInvolved United States Air Force
pilot Francis Gary Powers
politicalLeaderInvolved Dwight D. Eisenhower
Nikita Khrushchev
precededBy covert U-2 overflights of the Soviet Union
propagandaUse used by Soviet Union to criticize U.S. aggression
used by United States to highlight Soviet secrecy
relatedProgram American strategic intelligence collection over USSR
U-2 reconnaissance program
result capture of Francis Gary Powers
collapse of the 1960 Paris Summit
exposure of U.S. aerial espionage program
worsening of U.S.–Soviet relations
SovietResponse display of wreckage and pilot at press events
public denunciation of U.S. espionage
startDate 1960-05-01
timePeriod 1960s

Referenced by (2)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
U-2 incident of 1960
alsoKnownAs
Francis Gary Powers ("Powers")
familyName

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