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It seems to me that the bulk of this article belongs as a separate article under the "U2 crisis", which is certainly much more significant and well-known than Gary Powers. Unless someone can convince me otherwise I'll move all but the first paragraph to that title soon. - R. fiend
OK, just noticed there already is an article called U-2 Crisis of 1960, which seems like an unecessarily verbose and hard to find heading. That article is not as complete as this one, and is practically an orphan. I'll move most of this article there and add a bunch of redirects and links to make it easier to find, if no one objects, or beats me to it. - R. fiend
I don't like the reference to Lee Harvey Oswald as "the man reported to have shot" JFK. Whether the conspiracy theorists like it or not, Oswald is the official and only known gunman. Whether or not the evidence against Oswald would have convicted him in a court of law is not material here. The point is that all theories, speculation and downright irresponsible allegations have still not produced overwhelming evidence to discredit the official finding of Lee Harvey Oswald as the one man who definitely shot President Kennedy. --[USER: leonwatch]
Ok, it looks like alot of major work has been done on both articles, and while I haven't read them carefully yet, I think I'm pretty satisfied. You're right, there was alot of biographical information that belonged just in this article, and it should stay here. My original complaint was that it seemed there wasnt an article on the crisis at all, or at least I couldn't find one until I noticed the link at the bottom. There I found a short paragraph with almost nothing linking to it, so I made a bunch of links and redirects and I guess someone added substantially to the content. I actually didn't want to have to do it because I'm no expert. Glad it was addressed so quickly. - R. fiend
We should probably have a photo of Gary here, rather than a picture of a U2 model. Anyone have one? Djbrianuk 10:23, 14 Jun 2005 (UTC)
Does anybody know why people have always referred to him as Gary Powers? According to people who knew him, he was always called Frank, both within his family and within the piloting community.
I heard that one too - he apparently didn't like "Gary" and preferred "Frank".
His family (mom, dad, sisters) called him Francis. His colleagues called him Frank, which he preferred. His first wife called him Gary, which is what the press picked up on
I beleive the title should be his full name Francis Gary Powers —Preceding unsigned comment added by Gpowersjr ( talk • contribs) 14:09, 20 January 2008 (UTC)
I think there is a mistake. Gary Powers was born in Jenkins, KY and grew up in Pound, VA. There is lots of evidence of this upon even cursory search, including the CIA Bio document, that clearly lists Jenkins, KY as his birthplace. I'll change the article accordingly. -- Mr. Icon 02:43, 4 December 2005 (UTC)
Jenkins, KY is the city he was born in. He graduated from Grundy High School in 1946. His parents lived in Harmon, KY, Jenkins, KY, Grundy, VA, and Pound, VA. His five sisters are still alive. Two of his sisters still live in Pound. one in Wise, VA, one in Utah, and one in MD. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Gpowersjr ( talk • contribs) 14:15, 20 January 2008 (UTC)
There is no evidence of his involvement in U-2 spy missions, plus the addition in the article was factually incorrect (Korea vs. Japan). I have removed any references to Lee Harvey Oswald completely, since they didn't seem to warrant a "reference needed" tag.
There is one connection that should be noted. Lee Harvey Oswald was stationed at Osaka, Japan as a radar operator. This is one of the bases where U-2's flew out of. Powers' in his book, Operation Overflight, talks about the Oswald connection.
The crash of his helicopter was apparently caused by a malfunctioning fuel gauge which had been repaired without his knowledge. This is rather delphic. What was the relationship between the gauge being repaired and the helicopter crashing? Henry Flower 20:06, 14 June 2006 (UTC)
I have removed the sentence about the fuel gauge for now. FiggyBee 03:55, 8 September 2007 (UTC)
Might be worth a reference here or under the U2 crisis page: [3]
The U-2 Song by Howard Shapiro (a Harvard student at the time)
(Only the 4th line of the chorus varies)
Have you heard of a plane called the Lockheed U-2 Flown o'er flags of all red, and not red, white, and blue? She flew the Stars and Stripes of the land of the free And gave the other side a propaganda victory.
CHORUS: Oh, it just can't be true, no, it just can't be true -- Can we have a spy on that Lockheed U-2? It just can't be true, no, it just can't be true -- If they do it, we might as well do it too.
It was over Sverdlovsk on the first day of May, With the summit in Paris a few weeks away. U-2 flew and she fell, and she fell to the ground -- Pictures, pilot, and paraphernalia were found.
CHORUS... ...We're caught with the goods; now what are we to do?
Ike was there in the dark, and he said that the flight Might be legally wrong, but was morally right. First the rocket's red glare, then the red leader's roar Brought the U-2 to that hot Senate floor.
CHORUS... ...But Ike lost a friend thru that Lockheed U-2.
Soon our Midas's camera will soar to the heights, And we'll do without Lockheed U-2s and their flights. When the satellite's up, there'll be no need to spy: There's an eye in the sky in the sweet bye and bye.
CHORUS... ...But Ike lost a friend thru that Lockheed U-2.
So the summit was torpedoed like the good Reuben James, While heads of state sulked and called each other names. What of Francis G. Powers, the man at the hub? He's now camera instructor at the Moscow Glider Club.
CHORUS... ...If we do it, they might as well do it too.
They gave Powers ten years in the Soviet court. We said it was too long, they said it was too short. Nathan Hale might regret he'd but one life to give -- Said Powers, "I'm sorry, I just wanna live".
CHORUS... ...So they sent him to jail, and they sent up the zoo.
mr_Handy 08:52, 31 December 2006 (UTC)
"*Francis Gary had a scene in the film Thirteen Days when his U-2 was shotdown."
I taken out the above line under Cultural References because this is wrong. The U-2 incident in the movie Thirteen Days was over Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Ryanyomomma ( talk • contribs) 00:07, 9 May 2007 (UTC). ryanyomomma 20:07, 08 May 2007 (EST)
Is there any reason why he didn't hit the self-destruct mechanism to get rid of the evidence? Sarsaparilla ( talk) 02:14, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
Is it factually correct to call Capt. Powers' misson a "spy mission"? Specifically, is it known whether his U-2 had Air Force markings, and whether he was in uniform at the time of his capture? Bccpdx ( talk) 00:39, 14 February 2008 (UTC)
CIA documents show US never believed Gary Powers was shot down http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7113512.ece
This part of the article needs substantial rewriting. Aside from lacking clarity, it lacks authority. It's impossible to understand what are the competing views or to weigh their relative merits. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Joseph N ( talk • contribs) 20:17, 9 January 2014 (UTC)
What is missing here? Planes that crash from much lower altitudes are in small bits and pieces.( 71.22.47.232 ( talk) 07:38, 10 February 2011 (UTC))
It was suspected up to the 90s that the U2 had a bomb planted in the tail by Pakistani agents. The bomb was designed to kill the engine but do little other damage. There was some considerable suspicions at the time. It was believed the Soviets did not poses a SAM with that altitude. At light fuel load, the U2 has a wing loading of under 30lb/sqft and so it did not necessarily hit the ground with the impact of other jets. 61.68.163.217 ( talk) 06:58, 18 February 2017 (UTC)
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I thought this may be helpful if anyone wishes to note the source. This Day in History: American U2 Spy Plane Shot Down @History.com. The reason I did not personally fix it is because the article here mentions a pill and the article in the link mentions nothing of that. Either way, an order of suicide was given. MagnoliaSouth ( talk) 21:17, 1 May 2012 (UTC)
In a film on his espionage activitities it was mentioned that he had qualified as an MD and joined the Airforce later. Is that true? If yes, should it be mentioned in the article? Ontologix ( talk) 18:29, 5 March 2014 (UTC)
The article cited mentions a pin not a pill. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.60.145.193 ( talk) 20:59, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
Spielberg currently preparates a new film about that incident (working title: St James Place), starring Tom Hanks. -- Melly42 ( talk) 22:12, 30 November 2014 (UTC)
0 — Preceding unsigned comment added by Aoeuus ( talk • contribs) 16:29, 16 May 2016 (UTC)
This article seems to be the government account of the U2 story. In a book "The Secret Team" by CIA Chief of Special Operations (former colonel) Leroy Fletcher Prouty, Allen Dulles and other official CIA records stated that that Powers crash landed the U2 after an engine flame-out (possibly caused by a lack of hydrogen). Igor Mentyukov SU 19 pilot reported that the U2 circled slowly to the ground.
The procedures for selecting the plane and pilot was made in such a way that no personal or escape items could be put on the plane and there were no escape kits. The special pilot's suit contained no pockets. The plane that was chosen was one that had already suffered a crash landing. Being refurbished by Lockheed it only had a basic bomber reconnaissance camera fitted rather than the high resolution Lundahl system.
Leroy Fletcher Prouty's observations seem very plausible and warrant consideration. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.75.19.25 ( talk) 15:31, 7 October 2016 (UTC)
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The Reconnaissance_mission section lists the aircraft as a U-2A, tail number 56-6693. But the aircraft version listed in the list of list of U-2s on display (specifically this one in Russia, lists it as a U-2C. Some versions were upgrades to existing airframes (a U-2x could be upgraded and rebranded as a U-2y), but I think this wasn't the case here (that is 56-6693 was never a U-2A). Can anyone confirm or dispute? Fustigate314159 ( talk) 07:14, 9 December 2018 (UTC)
According to The Fifties by David Halberstam, Powers said he thought it was a near miss but the turbulence broke the fragile plane apart. This is not mentioned in the article so wondering how widespread this theory is or has it been discounted. -- Green C 18:57, 19 April 2019 (UTC)
This article on the exchange of U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers for the Soviet Spy known as Mr. Ayers on the Glienicke Bridge muddies the water on the exchange location of the graduate student Frederick Pryor.
In fact, as your own article on Pryor confirms, he was released to American authorities at Checkpoint Charlie just before the exchange of Ayers for Powers on the Glienicke Bridge.
That part of this U-2 Incident article should be edited to show the true facts in this two-for-one exchange.
Alpine Joy ( talk) 10:37, 28 August 2021 (UTC)
I have made the edit to the section noted above.
This is the
talk page for discussing improvements to the
Francis Gary Powers article. This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject. |
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Find sources: Google ( books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL |
![]() | A fact from this article was featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the On this day section on February 10, 2005, February 10, 2006, February 10, 2007, February 10, 2008, and February 10, 2020. |
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It seems to me that the bulk of this article belongs as a separate article under the "U2 crisis", which is certainly much more significant and well-known than Gary Powers. Unless someone can convince me otherwise I'll move all but the first paragraph to that title soon. - R. fiend
OK, just noticed there already is an article called U-2 Crisis of 1960, which seems like an unecessarily verbose and hard to find heading. That article is not as complete as this one, and is practically an orphan. I'll move most of this article there and add a bunch of redirects and links to make it easier to find, if no one objects, or beats me to it. - R. fiend
I don't like the reference to Lee Harvey Oswald as "the man reported to have shot" JFK. Whether the conspiracy theorists like it or not, Oswald is the official and only known gunman. Whether or not the evidence against Oswald would have convicted him in a court of law is not material here. The point is that all theories, speculation and downright irresponsible allegations have still not produced overwhelming evidence to discredit the official finding of Lee Harvey Oswald as the one man who definitely shot President Kennedy. --[USER: leonwatch]
Ok, it looks like alot of major work has been done on both articles, and while I haven't read them carefully yet, I think I'm pretty satisfied. You're right, there was alot of biographical information that belonged just in this article, and it should stay here. My original complaint was that it seemed there wasnt an article on the crisis at all, or at least I couldn't find one until I noticed the link at the bottom. There I found a short paragraph with almost nothing linking to it, so I made a bunch of links and redirects and I guess someone added substantially to the content. I actually didn't want to have to do it because I'm no expert. Glad it was addressed so quickly. - R. fiend
We should probably have a photo of Gary here, rather than a picture of a U2 model. Anyone have one? Djbrianuk 10:23, 14 Jun 2005 (UTC)
Does anybody know why people have always referred to him as Gary Powers? According to people who knew him, he was always called Frank, both within his family and within the piloting community.
I heard that one too - he apparently didn't like "Gary" and preferred "Frank".
His family (mom, dad, sisters) called him Francis. His colleagues called him Frank, which he preferred. His first wife called him Gary, which is what the press picked up on
I beleive the title should be his full name Francis Gary Powers —Preceding unsigned comment added by Gpowersjr ( talk • contribs) 14:09, 20 January 2008 (UTC)
I think there is a mistake. Gary Powers was born in Jenkins, KY and grew up in Pound, VA. There is lots of evidence of this upon even cursory search, including the CIA Bio document, that clearly lists Jenkins, KY as his birthplace. I'll change the article accordingly. -- Mr. Icon 02:43, 4 December 2005 (UTC)
Jenkins, KY is the city he was born in. He graduated from Grundy High School in 1946. His parents lived in Harmon, KY, Jenkins, KY, Grundy, VA, and Pound, VA. His five sisters are still alive. Two of his sisters still live in Pound. one in Wise, VA, one in Utah, and one in MD. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Gpowersjr ( talk • contribs) 14:15, 20 January 2008 (UTC)
There is no evidence of his involvement in U-2 spy missions, plus the addition in the article was factually incorrect (Korea vs. Japan). I have removed any references to Lee Harvey Oswald completely, since they didn't seem to warrant a "reference needed" tag.
There is one connection that should be noted. Lee Harvey Oswald was stationed at Osaka, Japan as a radar operator. This is one of the bases where U-2's flew out of. Powers' in his book, Operation Overflight, talks about the Oswald connection.
The crash of his helicopter was apparently caused by a malfunctioning fuel gauge which had been repaired without his knowledge. This is rather delphic. What was the relationship between the gauge being repaired and the helicopter crashing? Henry Flower 20:06, 14 June 2006 (UTC)
I have removed the sentence about the fuel gauge for now. FiggyBee 03:55, 8 September 2007 (UTC)
Might be worth a reference here or under the U2 crisis page: [3]
The U-2 Song by Howard Shapiro (a Harvard student at the time)
(Only the 4th line of the chorus varies)
Have you heard of a plane called the Lockheed U-2 Flown o'er flags of all red, and not red, white, and blue? She flew the Stars and Stripes of the land of the free And gave the other side a propaganda victory.
CHORUS: Oh, it just can't be true, no, it just can't be true -- Can we have a spy on that Lockheed U-2? It just can't be true, no, it just can't be true -- If they do it, we might as well do it too.
It was over Sverdlovsk on the first day of May, With the summit in Paris a few weeks away. U-2 flew and she fell, and she fell to the ground -- Pictures, pilot, and paraphernalia were found.
CHORUS... ...We're caught with the goods; now what are we to do?
Ike was there in the dark, and he said that the flight Might be legally wrong, but was morally right. First the rocket's red glare, then the red leader's roar Brought the U-2 to that hot Senate floor.
CHORUS... ...But Ike lost a friend thru that Lockheed U-2.
Soon our Midas's camera will soar to the heights, And we'll do without Lockheed U-2s and their flights. When the satellite's up, there'll be no need to spy: There's an eye in the sky in the sweet bye and bye.
CHORUS... ...But Ike lost a friend thru that Lockheed U-2.
So the summit was torpedoed like the good Reuben James, While heads of state sulked and called each other names. What of Francis G. Powers, the man at the hub? He's now camera instructor at the Moscow Glider Club.
CHORUS... ...If we do it, they might as well do it too.
They gave Powers ten years in the Soviet court. We said it was too long, they said it was too short. Nathan Hale might regret he'd but one life to give -- Said Powers, "I'm sorry, I just wanna live".
CHORUS... ...So they sent him to jail, and they sent up the zoo.
mr_Handy 08:52, 31 December 2006 (UTC)
"*Francis Gary had a scene in the film Thirteen Days when his U-2 was shotdown."
I taken out the above line under Cultural References because this is wrong. The U-2 incident in the movie Thirteen Days was over Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Ryanyomomma ( talk • contribs) 00:07, 9 May 2007 (UTC). ryanyomomma 20:07, 08 May 2007 (EST)
Is there any reason why he didn't hit the self-destruct mechanism to get rid of the evidence? Sarsaparilla ( talk) 02:14, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
Is it factually correct to call Capt. Powers' misson a "spy mission"? Specifically, is it known whether his U-2 had Air Force markings, and whether he was in uniform at the time of his capture? Bccpdx ( talk) 00:39, 14 February 2008 (UTC)
CIA documents show US never believed Gary Powers was shot down http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7113512.ece
This part of the article needs substantial rewriting. Aside from lacking clarity, it lacks authority. It's impossible to understand what are the competing views or to weigh their relative merits. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Joseph N ( talk • contribs) 20:17, 9 January 2014 (UTC)
What is missing here? Planes that crash from much lower altitudes are in small bits and pieces.( 71.22.47.232 ( talk) 07:38, 10 February 2011 (UTC))
It was suspected up to the 90s that the U2 had a bomb planted in the tail by Pakistani agents. The bomb was designed to kill the engine but do little other damage. There was some considerable suspicions at the time. It was believed the Soviets did not poses a SAM with that altitude. At light fuel load, the U2 has a wing loading of under 30lb/sqft and so it did not necessarily hit the ground with the impact of other jets. 61.68.163.217 ( talk) 06:58, 18 February 2017 (UTC)
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An image used in this article,
File:Francis-Gary-Powers model nasm.jpg, has been nominated for deletion at
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|
A discussion will now take place over on Commons about whether to remove the file. If you feel the deletion can be contested then please do so (
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I thought this may be helpful if anyone wishes to note the source. This Day in History: American U2 Spy Plane Shot Down @History.com. The reason I did not personally fix it is because the article here mentions a pill and the article in the link mentions nothing of that. Either way, an order of suicide was given. MagnoliaSouth ( talk) 21:17, 1 May 2012 (UTC)
In a film on his espionage activitities it was mentioned that he had qualified as an MD and joined the Airforce later. Is that true? If yes, should it be mentioned in the article? Ontologix ( talk) 18:29, 5 March 2014 (UTC)
The article cited mentions a pin not a pill. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.60.145.193 ( talk) 20:59, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
Spielberg currently preparates a new film about that incident (working title: St James Place), starring Tom Hanks. -- Melly42 ( talk) 22:12, 30 November 2014 (UTC)
0 — Preceding unsigned comment added by Aoeuus ( talk • contribs) 16:29, 16 May 2016 (UTC)
This article seems to be the government account of the U2 story. In a book "The Secret Team" by CIA Chief of Special Operations (former colonel) Leroy Fletcher Prouty, Allen Dulles and other official CIA records stated that that Powers crash landed the U2 after an engine flame-out (possibly caused by a lack of hydrogen). Igor Mentyukov SU 19 pilot reported that the U2 circled slowly to the ground.
The procedures for selecting the plane and pilot was made in such a way that no personal or escape items could be put on the plane and there were no escape kits. The special pilot's suit contained no pockets. The plane that was chosen was one that had already suffered a crash landing. Being refurbished by Lockheed it only had a basic bomber reconnaissance camera fitted rather than the high resolution Lundahl system.
Leroy Fletcher Prouty's observations seem very plausible and warrant consideration. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.75.19.25 ( talk) 15:31, 7 October 2016 (UTC)
Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified 5 external links on Francis Gary Powers. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
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The Reconnaissance_mission section lists the aircraft as a U-2A, tail number 56-6693. But the aircraft version listed in the list of list of U-2s on display (specifically this one in Russia, lists it as a U-2C. Some versions were upgrades to existing airframes (a U-2x could be upgraded and rebranded as a U-2y), but I think this wasn't the case here (that is 56-6693 was never a U-2A). Can anyone confirm or dispute? Fustigate314159 ( talk) 07:14, 9 December 2018 (UTC)
According to The Fifties by David Halberstam, Powers said he thought it was a near miss but the turbulence broke the fragile plane apart. This is not mentioned in the article so wondering how widespread this theory is or has it been discounted. -- Green C 18:57, 19 April 2019 (UTC)
This article on the exchange of U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers for the Soviet Spy known as Mr. Ayers on the Glienicke Bridge muddies the water on the exchange location of the graduate student Frederick Pryor.
In fact, as your own article on Pryor confirms, he was released to American authorities at Checkpoint Charlie just before the exchange of Ayers for Powers on the Glienicke Bridge.
That part of this U-2 Incident article should be edited to show the true facts in this two-for-one exchange.
Alpine Joy ( talk) 10:37, 28 August 2021 (UTC)
I have made the edit to the section noted above.