Gary Powers was a pilot whose Central Intelligence Agency Lockheed U-2 spy plane was shot down in Soviet Union airspace while on a reconnaissance mission in 1960, resulting in the U-2 incident.
Powers was awarded the Silver Star medal on June 15, 2012, for “displaying ‘exceptional loyalty’ while enduring harsh interrogation in Moscow’s Lubyanka Prison for nearly two years.”
Air Force Chief presented the medal to his grandchildren in a Pentagon ceremony.
What Happened To Gary Powers?
On August 1, 1977, Gary Powers’ helicopter ran out of fuel and crashed into a field near Encino, California. Gary died in a helicopter crash on August 1, 1977, at 47.
During the crash, the $500,000 helicopter was destroyed. For safety, firefighters removed the helicopter’s smoking battery from the fuselage.
The wreckage was transported to Van Nuys’ Wayne Airframe Aviation Company. The video recorder and four video cassettes were discovered inside the helicopter. The tapes were thought to contain information about the cause of the crash, but the recorder was not functional at that time.
The pilot had reported a faulty fuel gauge on the helicopter. The incorrectly functioning fuel gauge would show empty when the fuel tank contained enough fuel for 30 minutes of flight time.
It has been claimed that the gauge was repaired to work properly without Gary’s knowledge. This is one possible explanation for an experienced pilot like Gary running out of fuel.
Gary Powers’ Plane Got Shot Down
On May 1, 1960, a spy plane was shot down by the Soviet Air Defence Forces while undertaking photographic aerial reconnaissance deep within Soviet territory.
The single-seat plane, piloted by Gary Powers, took off from Peshawar, Pakistan, and crash landed near Sverdlovsk.
Powers safely landed and was apprehended. After being arrested, Powers was charged with spying and sentenced to three years in prison plus seven years of hard labor.
Gary Powers Was Exchanged for Soviet KGB Colonel William Fisher
James Jesus Angleton, the director of the CIA, opposed exchanging Gary Powers for Soviet KGB Colonel William Fisher, who had been apprehended by the FBI and tried and imprisoned for espionage.
James suspected that Gary had already revealed everything he knew to the Soviets, and he reasoned that Gary was therefore worthless to the US.
On the other hand, the director claimed that William Fisher had yet to reveal much to the CIA, refusing even to reveal his real name, and that, as a result, William Fisher was still of potential value.
James and others at the CIA remained opposed to the exchange, but President John F. Kennedy approved it.
The pilot and US student Frederic Pryor were exchanged for Soviet KGB Colonel William Fisher on February 10, 1962. He attributed the swap concept to his father. He had been held captive for one year, nine months, and ten days when he was released.
The plot of Bridges of Spies with Gary Powers’ Story
Rudolf Abel is apprehended and charged with spying for the Soviet Union in 1957 in New York City, and insurance lawyer James B. Donovan is appointed as Rudolf’s legal counsel. Gary Powers, a pilot for the CIA’s top-secret U-2 spy plane program, was shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960.
Gary is apprehended and sentenced to ten years in prison in a mock trial.
The CIA wants James to disregard Frederic Pryor, but he insists on swapping Frederic and Gary for Rudolf. In a message to the Attorney General, he declares that either Frederic will be released with Gary or there will be no deal.
The pilot and Rudolf will be exchanged at the Glienicke Bridge, while Frederic will be released simultaneously at Checkpoint Charlie. As Frederic fails to arrive, tension rises. The CIA, still preoccupied with Gary, tells Rudolf he can leave, but he refuses. The exchange takes place after it is confirmed Frederic has been released.
The following day, back in the United States, the government publicly thanked James for negotiating the agreement that restored his public image.