US U2 spy plane shot down over USSR

Historical Context Note

Lucas Paul Richert (University of Saskatchewan)
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On 1 May, a U-2 reconnaissance spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union and its pilot, Gary Powers, was taken prisoner. The incident led to the cancellation of the Paris summit conference. Powers was convicted of espionage and sentenced to three years imprisonment and another seven years hard labour. However, Powers was returned to the United States after twenty-two months in prison as part of a swap between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

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Citation: Richert, Lucas Paul. "US U2 spy plane shot down over USSR". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 October 2008 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=3363, accessed 26 November 2024.]

3363 US U2 spy plane shot down over USSR 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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