U-2 Incident

In July 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower asked the prime minister of Pakistan, Feroze Khan Noon, about establishing a clandestine U.S. intelligence facility in Pakistan. U.S.-Pakistan relations had been relatively warm ever since Pakistan's declaration of independence in 1947. The U.S. was among the first countries to establish relations with the newly-independent Pakistan.

Thanks to this cordial relationship between the two countries, Pakistan granted Eisenhower his request and a U.S.-run secret intelligence facility was constructed in Badaber. Badaber is located less than a hundred kilometres from the Afghan-Pakistani Border. Establishing this base of operation was crucial for the Americans as it provided easy access to Soviet Central Asia. Badaber would be used as a takeoff and landing point for the U-2 spy plane.

Initially, Eisenhower did not want an American citizen to pilot the U-2, because in case the plane was ever shot down, the pilot was captured and was discovered that be an American, which would look like a sign of aggression. Thus, the two initial flights were piloted by pilots of the British Royal Air Force.

Fig. 1: President Dwight Eisenhower

The British pilots were successful in flying the U-2 without getting detected and even got information regarding the intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) stationed in Soviet Central Asia. But Eisenhower needed more information, which was why he called for two more missions. Now, the U-2 was to be flown by American pilots. The first one was a success, much like the previous two. But the last flight, piloted by Francis Gary Powers was not.

Fig. 2: The U-2 spy plane

The U-2 spy plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. Despite being shot down, Powers managed to eject out of the plane and land safely, albeit on Soviet soil. He was arrested straight away.

Fig. 3: Soviet surface-to-air defence missiles (S-75)

All this transpired on 1 May 1960 just two weeks before the Paris Summit. The Paris Summit was important for three major reasons:

1. It was a meeting between world leaders including Eisenhower and Khrushchev, where they had a platform to discuss the situation in Cuba. Now that the Cuban Revolution had ended just a year ago, in 1959, a Communist government led by Fidel Castro was established. A Communist country on the United States' doorstep was not, of course, viewed positively;
2. In The case of Berlin and the thousands that were fleeing from East Berlin into the West, Ally controlled sectors of Berlin;
3. And the most important point. The main reason for the calling of the Paris Summit. The nuclear test ban. With the Arms Race in full swing, nuclear tests were not uncommon. In pursuing nuclear proliferation, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were on the verge of creating vast no-go and unlivable regions due to their radioactivity.

Both Eisenhower and Khrushchev arrived in Paris to hold these talks. But on May 16, Khrushchev declared that he would not participate in the Summit unless the U.S. formally apologised for violating Soviet air sovereignty and punished the people responsible. Naturally, Eisenhower denied any claims that the plane that was shot down was used for spying, which was why he never apologised. But Eisenhower's denial was unfounded, as the Soviets had discovered photographs and footage that had been taken during Powers' flight on the U-2. The Soviets had all the evidence they needed.

Such a brash response from the American President angered Khrushchev, which was why the next day, on 17 May, Krushchev walked out of the Paris Summit, officially adjourning this high-level meeting. The Paris Summit collapsed and the three main points of the agenda were never addressed.