U2 Crisis

Question 1

What were the U2 planes?

Answer 1

The U2 spy planes were the USA’s most effective method of gathering intelligence. They flew at a height of 23,000 metres and were able to photograph weapons development without detection.

Question 2

What happened during the U2 crisis?

Answer 2

• a U2 spy plane flown by US pilot Gary Powers was shot down by the USSR’s anti-aircraft guns on 1 May 1960
• the Americans claimed it was a weather plane that had strayed into Soviet territory, but there was clear evidence this was not the case
• Powers was put on trial and sentenced to ten year’s imprisonment

Question 3

What was the effect of the U2 crisis on the Paris Peace Summit?

Answer 3

• a day after saying it was a weather plane, the US government admitted that it was a spy plane. Eisenhower refused to apologise
• Eisenhower and Khrushchev were due to meet at the long-planned Paris Peace Summit in May 1960. The U2 crisis completely overshadowed the event
• Khrushchev was highly critical of Eisenhower, saying he was a ‘thief caught red-handed in his theft’. He walked out of the summit before any discussions could take place
• Khrushchev cancelled what was due to be a historic visit by the US President to the USSR in June
• Eisenhower agreed to only ‘suspend’ spy flights and Khrushchev refused to meet the president again

Question 4

What were the wider consequences of the U2 crisis?

Answer 4

• the Paris Peace Summit was supposed to represent a step towards improved relations and Khrushchev’s ‘peaceful co-existence’ ideas.
• there was a growth in tension between east and west