Francis Gary Powers, U-2 Pilot
Whitesburg, Letcher County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Pilot-Spy-Hero. Francis Gary Powers and the "U-2 Incident" catapulted activities of the United States into world view. This Burdine native, with other pilots directed by CIA, flew U-2's (high altitude jet gliders) over Russia, photographing missile and industrial sites and nuclear tests. On May 1, 1960, when his plane was diasabled 1300 miles over Russia, Powers parachuted to safety. Over. (Reverse) Francis Gary Powers, 1929-1977 - Taken prisoner, Powers stated his compass had malfunctioned on a weather flight. Finding film intact in plane's wreckage, the Russians told him he would stand trial for espionage. Sentenced to ten years imprisonment, Powers was released in 1962 in exchange for a Soviet spy. Later decorated by CIA. Died in civilian helicopter crash.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
Whitesburg honors Burdine native Francis Gary Powers (1929–1977), the CIA pilot whose high-altitude U-2 reconnaissance flights over the Soviet Union made him a Cold War symbol. On May 1, 1960, his aircraft was downed deep inside Russia; he parachuted to safety, was captured, tried for espionage, and freed in 1962 in a swap for a Soviet spy. He later died in a helicopter crash while working as a news pilot.
Why it matters
The "U-2 Incident" thrust a Kentucky mountain town into the center of Cold War superpower tensions and the era's secret aerial intelligence.
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Related people
- · Francis Gary Powers
Related events
- · U-2 Incident, 1960
Themes & tags
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