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The U-2 Spy Who Changed History | Salt Lake City News
In a Cold War flashpoint, U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers was captured and sentenced to ten years in the Soviet Union after his U-2 spy plane was shot down over Russia—shattering détente and derailing a key summit. Initially blamed on oxygen failure, the truth emerged when Powers confessed, prompting Soviet Premier Khrushchev’s walkout. After serving nearly 18 months, he was traded for Rudolph Abel. A Senate panel later exonerated him, calling him a principled young man under pressure. He died at 47 in a helicopter crash while working as a traffic reporter in LA—and is now buried at Arlington…
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