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Lot 216
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Parents of Cold War Spy Gary Powers Beg Khrushchev to be Lenient to their Son
Parents of Cold War Spy Gary Powers Beg Khrushchev to be Lenient to their Son
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Description:

Powers Francis

An incredible letter from the parents of spy Francis Gary Powers, whose capture by the U.S.S.R., and the resulting clandestine "spy-trade", was recently brought to the silver screen by Steven Spielberg in the "Bridge of Spies". This phenomenal period in history saw the Soviet block and satellite countries immersed in poverty, governmental oppression, and fear. The building of the Berlin Wall fully represented the incredible stronghold the U.S.S.R. had on the Communist block and puts Francis Gary Powers's C.I.A. mission into perspective. 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's son. An image of the letter will be shown in this lot listing.

 

In this heart-wrenching letter, Powers's parents begged Communist leader Khrushchev to be lenient to their son at the height of the Cold War. They called on him as a father and as a parent, expressing their wish for his safe return.

 

The typed letter to Khrushchev is shown in full below:

 

"Pound, Virginia

May 19, 1960

 

My Dear Mr. Kruschev:

 

I extend to you and Mrs. Kruschev my regards as one parent to another.

 

Pilot Francis Powers is my only son. I am asking you to be lenient with him in your dealings with him.

 

He has always been a fine young man, and we love him very much. As one father to another, I plead with you to let him come home as soon as you can find it in your heart to do so, so that he may be with us a while longer.

 

Please give him this note from his mother enclosed in this letter.

 

Sincerely yours,

Oliver Powers

Father of Francis Powers

 

P.S. I would appreciate it very much if you would reply as soon as possible".

 

Francis Gary Powers story is shown in more detail below:

 

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

 

Upon joining the C.I.A.'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-2 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 C.I.A. concern that was later retracted)

 

The incident set back talks between Khrushchev and Eisenhower. Powers's 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 U.S. 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 from September 9, 1960 until February 8, 1962. Gary kept a diary and a journal while confined. Additionally, he took up carpet weaving with 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 U.S.A.F./C.I.A 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, C.I.A Director authorized Powers to posthumously receive the C.I.A.'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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