The U2 Crisis
History: Cambridge International GCSE The Twentieth Century (Option B), topic 6.3.3
The U2 Crisis
In early May 1960 the Soviet Union shot down an American U2 spy plane.
The Paris Peace Conference
- At the Paris Peace Conference in May 1960, talks between the USA and USSR broke down as the Soviet Union shot down an American U2 spy plane.
- The US claimed that it was a weather plane, but the Soviets captured the pilot, Gary Powers.
A lack of resolution
- Khrushchev wanted President Eisenhower to apologise but the US President did not.
- The peace conference ended, but tensions between the two countries increased.
Cuban Missile Crisis
- The increased tensions were reflected by the Cuban Missile Crisis a few years later and by the fact that there were no meaningful official agreements on the arms race between the two nations for 10 more years.
Test yourself on The U2 Crisis
When was the Paris Peace Conference?
Who was the pilot of the U2 spy plane?
Which of the following about the U2 incident are correct?