Spy Pilot: Francis Gary Powers

Spy Pilot: Francis Gary Powers, the U-2 Incident, and a Controversial Cold War Legacy

Based on newly available information, the son of famed U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers presents the facts and dispels misinformation about the Cold War espionage program that turned his father into a Cold War icon. One of the most talked-about events of the Cold War was the downing of the American U-2 spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers over the Soviet Union on May 1, 1960. On his return to the United States, Powers was exonerated of any wrongdoing while imprisoned in Russia, yet, due to bad press and the government's unwillingness to heartily defend Powers, a cloud of controversy lingered until his untimely death in 1977. Now his son, Francis Gary Powers Jr. and acclaimed historian Keith Dunnavant have written this new account of Powers' life based on personal files, audio tapes, letters, and the transcript of his father's debriefing by the CIA that had never been previously available. During this program Gary will talk about his 30 years of research to set the record straight in regards to the misinformation surrounding the U-2 Incident.

Note: This program will focus on the individual book, but will have some overlap with Letters From a Soviet Prison and Private Correspondence of CIA U-2 Pilot Francis Gary Powers.

Instructor: Gary Powers Jr.
Members: $18; General Public: $23
Course #: SPE214 | Room: Live Oak Hall
2/6/2025 | 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM