may 1, 1960 - The U-2 Plane Incident

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In 1960, the United States and the Soviet Union commenced conflict when a U-2 reconnaissance plane was shot down over Soviet land. The U-2 plane was a unique aircraft because it had a cruising altitude of 70,000 ft which was thought to be high enough that the aircraft could fly through Soviet air undetected by ground radar. The planes must fly undetected because flying over soviet airspace unauthorized would be considered an act of war. Conducted by the CIA these flights took place over many years. However, on May 1, 1960, the American plane was shot down and Soviet authorities captured pilot Francis Gary Powers. The Soviets now had hard evidence that the US had been breaking the air-space law. Khrushchev agreed to continue with the summit if he got President Eisenhower's apology and if he denied any knowledge of the spy plane program. Eisenhower, however, did not complete either of the two therefore the incident led to the cancellation of the Paris Summit which was scheduled to discuss the divide in Germany and loosen tensions between the USSR and the United States. Eventually, President Eisenhower admitted to full knowledge of the spy program and that it is necessary for a nation's security so the missions won't stop anytime soon.

U.S. Department of State. (n.d.). U.S. Department of State. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1953-1960/u2-incident

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