Francis Gary Powers standing with Lockheed U-2B

Francis Gary Powers

Francis Gary Powers was flying a U-2 reconnaissance mission over the Soviet Union when he was shot down in May 1960. He was later released in February 1962, in exchange for a Soviet agent.  This U-2 incident came at a time when East-West tensions were easing, or so it seemed. The U-2 flight became one of the issues that canceled the summit conference between President Eisenhower and Premier Khrushchev, which was scheduled for May 16, 1960. The U-2 came to symbolize high-risk U.S. intelligence efforts and the fragility of peaceful coexistence during the Cold War. (Smithsonian Institution)