Political Implications
Francis Gary Powers, accused of espionage over Russia in his U 2 airplane, on trial in Moscow. On the extreme left, wearing spectacles, is the defense counsel, Grinev. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
The timing of the U-2 incident couldn’t have been worse. A summit had been scheduled between the Soviets, America, Britain, and France. It was the first meeting of the big global powers for five years and seemed like an ideal time for tensions between the nations to finally cool off a little. In fact, before the U-2 incident, both Eisenhower and Khrushchev had shown willingness to make progress and try to work through their differences and conflicts. Unfortunately, the incident completely ruined any hope of reconciliation between the nations. Both leaders did still attend the summit, with Khrushchev lambasting the US while Eisenhower defended the spy missions and refused to apologize. Talks broke down very quickly, and the summit was seen as a total failure.