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Significance
This caused the collapse of the Paris summit conference between the United States, Soviet Union, The United Kingdom, and France. -
Shot down
On May 3, 1060, russia shot down waht they called "an American spyplane". -
Not authorized
The pilot, Francis Gary Powers, parachuted to safety. He testified that he worked for the CIA. The United States said there was no authorization for any such flight. -
admission
On May 11, Eisenhower publicly admitted to authorizing the U-2 flights, saying the espionage was a “distasteful but vital necessity” inspired by a “fetish of secrecy” in the Soviet Union. “No one wants another Pearl Harbor,” he argued. -
Soviet Protests
the Soviets sent protest notes to Turkey, Pakistan, and Norway, who then protested to the U.S. to get assurance that no U.S. planes would be allowed to use their territories for unauthorized purposes. -
Paris Summit
Khrushcev said the Soviet Union would not take part of any summit talks unless the U. S. stopped flights over the soviet territory, apologied, and punished the people responsible. They did not like Presiden Eisenhower's promise to suspend all such flights. -
GUILTY
Francis Gary Powers was tried and sentenced to 10 years confinement -
released
In an exchange for Soviet spy Rudolf Abel, Gary Francis Powers was returned to the United States.