The U-2 Incident 1960 was written during the Cold War. Tensions between the United Staes of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics were running high with the possible of threat of a nuclear surprise attack from either side. There had been an attempt to reduce these tensions in the Geneva Summit of 1955 by Dwight D. Eisenhower where he had proposed the open-skies proposal. The proposal intended for the U.S and the U.S.S.R to trade military base maps to allow each other to act on aerial surveillance. The U.S.S.R had denied the proposal, bringing the summit to an end. However, the Geneva Summit promised that another summit would take place in 1960. Unfortunately, the U-2 incident would remarkably change the outcome of the relationship
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The plane was shot down by the decision that it was a military plane holding aggressive intent. A investigation team was sent to search the wreckage for anything where it was discovered that the plane help a device for aerial photography for detecting U.S.S.R anti-aircraft defenses. The proof debunked the statement that the U.S had made to the public that U-2 had been just a simple weather plane. The U.S had no choice but to confess the truth. The United States explained that their decision to send the U-2 spy plane had been committed as a necessary act of national defense not only for the country, but for the free world. The U.S backs up their claims by bringing up the U.S.S.R’s severe secrecy in regards to their nuclear weapons and how it creates fear in the hearts of many around the world of the possible threat of a nuclear war. They mention how the U.S has tried in many ways to eliminate this threat, an example being Eisenhower’s open-skies proposal in 1955. The National Security Act of 1947 prompts America to attempt any possible way to gather information required to defend the United States, along with the world to make preparations. The suspicion of the Soviet’s using this specific incident as propaganda to fuel the competition of capitalism vs. communist and continued the cold war was brought up, but was not fully explained in the report. Eisenhower brings up four points about the U-2 at a news conference in May 11, 1960. His first point was the “need for intelligence-gathering activities”. The Soviet Union’s secrecy is brought up again, how the Soviets have a “fetish” for concealment that leads to the tension and uneasiness the people felt. The second point had been the “nature of intelligence-gathering activities”. The U-2 had been a plane that would work swiftly above Soviet territory so as to not induce aggression. The third point was “how should we view all of this activity”.
The plane was shot down by the decision that it was a military plane holding aggressive intent. A investigation team was sent to search the wreckage for anything where it was discovered that the plane help a device for aerial photography for detecting U.S.S.R anti-aircraft defenses. The proof debunked the statement that the U.S had made to the public that U-2 had been just a simple weather plane. The U.S had no choice but to confess the truth. The United States explained that their decision to send the U-2 spy plane had been committed as a necessary act of national defense not only for the country, but for the free world. The U.S backs up their claims by bringing up the U.S.S.R’s severe secrecy in regards to their nuclear weapons and how it creates fear in the hearts of many around the world of the possible threat of a nuclear war. They mention how the U.S has tried in many ways to eliminate this threat, an example being Eisenhower’s open-skies proposal in 1955. The National Security Act of 1947 prompts America to attempt any possible way to gather information required to defend the United States, along with the world to make preparations. The suspicion of the Soviet’s using this specific incident as propaganda to fuel the competition of capitalism vs. communist and continued the cold war was brought up, but was not fully explained in the report. Eisenhower brings up four points about the U-2 at a news conference in May 11, 1960. His first point was the “need for intelligence-gathering activities”. The Soviet Union’s secrecy is brought up again, how the Soviets have a “fetish” for concealment that leads to the tension and uneasiness the people felt. The second point had been the “nature of intelligence-gathering activities”. The U-2 had been a plane that would work swiftly above Soviet territory so as to not induce aggression. The third point was “how should we view all of this activity”.