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Lot 175
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Gary Powers Typed Signed Letter to His Parents, ca. 1955, Real Life "Bridge of Spies"
Gary Powers Typed Signed Letter to His Parents, ca. 1955, Real Life "Bridge of Spies"
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Powers Francis

Gary Powers Typed Signed Letter to His Parents, ca. 1955, Real Life "Bridge of Spies"

Typed letter signed, 8.5" x 11" to "Mom & Dad". Francis Gary Powers signed the letter on behalf of himself and his future wife, Barbara, as "Love / Barbara & Gary". Expected folds and light toning with faint handling marks, else near fine. Accompanied by the postmarked envelope of "June 16". Powers was in Nevada by May 1956 so this letter with a return address of New York most likely predated his U-2 training in Nevada. Envelope 6.25" opened to the right side affecting a piece of the Air Mail stamp. Envelope grubby and toned. Accompanied by a Letter of Provenance by Francis Gary Powers, Jr, stating the letter was the property of Francis Gary Powers and comes directly from Mr. Powers' son. An image of the letter will be shown in this lot listing.

A thought provoking letter, predating his infamous mission. Powers was recruited by the CIA in 1956, and by May began U-2 training in Nevada. His training was complete by August 1956 and his unit was deployed to Turkey. By 1960, Powers was already a veteran of many covert aerial reconnaissance. This early letter reflects his transition from his youthful civilian innocence, noting such banalties as "I picked up some things for the German Shepard that we bought up there the last time we were there" and "I also bought some fishing equiptment[sic for I am trying to become a fisherman" to a human super spy shot down during the cold war by Russian air missiles and taking prisoner behind the Iron Curtain.

Power's incredible story took place in early beginning of the cold war and during the creation of the Berlin wall (1961). This phenomenal period in history was wonderfully depicted in a Steven Spielberg's classic "The Bridge Of Spies" in which the full ambience of the cold period, the poverty, the   fear, the governmental oppression and the building of the Berlin Wall allowed the viewer to perhaps more fully comprehend this incredible era and put Power's CIA mission into perspective.

Graduating college in June 1950, Gary enlisted in the Air Force in October. He was commissioned  in the US Air Force in December 1952 after completing his advanced training with USAF Pilot Training Class 52-H. By January 1956 he was recruited by the CIA.

Upon joining the CIA's U-2 program at the civilian grade of   GS-12, Powers flew espionage missions at altitudes above 70,000 feet (21 km), well above the reach of Soviet air defenses. The U-2 was equipped with a state-of-the-art camera designed to take high-resolution photos from the edge of the stratosphere over hostile countries, including the Soviet Union. U-2 missions systematically photographed military installations and other important sites.

Spy mission

"The primary mission of the U-2s was overflying Russia. The border surveillance and atomic sampling, though vital, were secondary." Additionally, the U-2 flew "special missions". Beginning on September 27, 1956 and continuing until 1960, "the United States was spying not only on most of the countries in the Middle East but also on her own allies." Soviet intelligence had been aware of encroaching U-2 flights at least since 1958 if not sooner but lacked effective countermeasures until 1960. On May 1, 1960, Powers' U-2A, was to be the first attempt "to fly all the way across the Soviet Union...but it was considered worth the gamble. The planned route would take us deeper into Russia than we had ever gone, while traversing important targets never before photographed."

Shot down

Powers was shot down by a surface-to-air missile during a mission, the Soviets sent a Mig-19 jet fighter which was sent to intercept the Power's aircraft but could not reach a high enough altitude. Its pilot, ejected but died of his injuries. Another Soviet aircraft, also attempted to intercept Powers' U-2. The unarmed Su-9 was directed to ram the U-2 but missed because of the large differences in speed (the Su-9 flew above Mach 1.1, while the U-2 flew at approximately Mach 0.6).

The first of three SA-2 Guideline (S-75 Dvina) surface-to-air missiles launched at the U-2 near Kosulino in the Ural Region impacted the aircraft. "What was left of the plane began spinning, only upside down, the nose pointing upward toward the sky, the tail down toward the ground." Powers was unable to activate the plane's self-destruct mechanism before he was thrown out of the plane after releasing the canopy and his seat belt. While descending under his parachute, Powers had time to scatter his escape map, and rid himself of part of his suicide device, a silver dollar coin suspended around his neck containing a poison-laced injection pin, though he kept the poison pin "Yet I was still hopeful of escape." He hit the ground hard, was immediately captured, and taken to prison in Moscow. (he was originally criticized for not committing suicide by taking the poison … a CIA concern which was later retracted.

The incident set back talks between Khrushchev and Eisenhower. Powers' interrogations ended on June 30, and his solitary confinement on July 9. On August 17, 1960, his trial for espionage began before the military division of the Supreme Court of the USSR.

On August 19, 1960, Powers was convicted of espionage, "a grave crime covered by Article 2 of the Soviet Union's law 'On Criminality Responsibility for State Crimes'". His sentence consisted of ten years confinement, three of which were to be in a prison, with the remainder in a labor camp. The US Embassy "News Bulletin" stated, according to Powers, "as far as the government was concerned, I had acted in accordance with the instructions given me and would receive my full salary while imprisoned".

He was held in Vladimir Prison (where this post card was written), from September 9, 1960 until February 8, 1962.. Gary kept a diary and a journal while confined. Additionally he took up carpet weaving from his cell mate to pass the time. He could send and receive a limited number of letters from his family. The prison now contains a small museum with an exhibit on Powers, who allegedly developed a good rapport with Russian prisoners there.

In 1998, newly declassified information revealed that Powers's mission had been a joint USAF/CIA operation. In 2000, on the 40th anniversary of the U-2 Incident, his family was presented with his posthumously awarded Prisoner of War Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross and National Defense Service Medal.

In addition, CIA Director authorized Powers to posthumously receive the CIA's coveted Director's Medal for extreme fidelity and extraordinary courage in the line of duty.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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