Step into a gripping real-life story of Cold War espionage during this presentation by Francis Gary Powers Jr. The event is free and open to the public.
Powers will share insights from his book, “Letters from a Soviet Prison: The Personal Journal and Correspondence of CIA U-2 Pilot Francis Gary Powers,” featuring writings and letters of his father, Francis Gary Powers.
In 1960, the elder Powers was shot down while piloting a high-altitude U-2 reconnaissance plane over the Soviet Union for the Central Intelligence Agency. Captured and imprisoned for nearly two years, Powers was exchanged for Soviet spy Rudolf Abel in a tense, high-profile swap. The incident brought secret U.S. surveillance efforts into public view and intensified Cold War tensions.
The presentation will explore the personal side of this international event through original letters, journal entries, and photographs, offering rare insight into the emotional toll of espionage, captivity, and diplomacy.