may 1, 1960 - U2 Crisis

Description:

On Mayday in the USSR, Khrushchev received word from his intelligence that a U2 plane had been detected and ordered it shot down.
The missile hit Gary Powers' plane but he failed to self destruct it and he survived after bailing out (choosing not to commit suicide with the silver dollar poisoned pin that he had) .
He was captured and put on trial by the soviets - admitting everything (causing him to become a hate figure for the American people) .
Initially, the White house claimed that the aircraft was a collecting weather data for NASA but the Kremlin displayed its evidence once this claim came out (the suicide pin and photos of defences) and caught the Americans in a lie.
This gave them a huge propaganda victory that the west were their enemies, as the Americans were forced to admit the planes actual role but refused to apologise and only suspended flights.
It was also a personal victory for Khrushchev as he was under pressure from high ranking communists and generals due to destalinisation ,reduced military spending and for being 'too soft on the Americans' - as well as from the Chinese.

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