Francis Gary Powers Jr.
The annual Sunday with Friends series at the Washington County Public Library presents Francis Gary Powers Jr., discussing his new book “Spy Pilot,” which is about his father, the U-2 incident and his father’s prominent place in the Cold War. Powers speaks Sunday, Feb. 27 at 3 p.m. in the conference room at the Abingdon, Virginia, library.
One of the most talked-about events of the Cold War was the downing of the American U-2 spy plane piloted by Pound, Virginia, native Francis Gary Powers over the Soviet Union in May 1960.
Powers was captured by the KGB, subjected to a show trial and imprisoned, creating an international incident. He was ultimately released in exchange for a Soviet spy. On his return to the United States, Powers was exonerated for any wrongdoing while imprisoned in the Soviet Union. However, a cloud of controversy lingered over Powers until his untimely death in 1977.
Now, 60 years later, his son has gained access to the transcript of his father’s CIA debriefing, newly declassified documents about the U-2 program and interviews with his father’s contemporaries to set the record straight.
The resulting book, “Spy Pilot,” co-authored by biographer Keith Dunnavant, is the definitive account of the famous Cold War incident.
Steven Spielberg depicted the central events of the U-2 incident in the movie “Bridge of Spies.”
Francis Gary Powers Jr. is the founder of the Cold War Museum in Vint Hill, Virginia, and has chaired a Presidential Advisory Committee on the Cold War, identifying for the National Park Service historic various Cold War sites for preservation. He also lectures regularly on the History, Discovery and A&E Channels.
The event is free and open to the public. There will be book sales and signings with refreshments after the event. For more information, call 276-676-6390.
