U.S. and the Soviet Union: Tensions Increase: Spy Plane Mystery

Following World War II, the relations between the United States and the Soviet Union grew increasingly wary. The USSR did not agree to a U.S. 'Open Skies' proposal in 1955 and relations continued to deteriorate. The U.S. instituted high altitude reconnaissance flights over the Soviet Union because of this aura of mistrust. The U-2 was the plane of choice for the spying missions. The CIA took the lead, keeping the military out of the picture to avoid any possibilities of open conflict. By 1960, the U.S. had flown numerous 'successful' missions over and around the U.S.S.R. However, a major incident was about to occur. On May 1, 1960, a U-2 spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers was brought down near Svedlovsk, Soviet Union. This event had a lasting negative impact on U.S. - U.S.S.R. relations. The details surrounding this event are to this day still shrouded in mystery.




Mysteries

The conventional story given to explain the crash of the U-2 and the subsequent capture of Gary Powers is that a surface-to-air missile brought down the plane. However, the U-2 spy plane was constructed to be unassailable by conventional weapons. The major benefit of these high altitude planes was their ability to stay above enemy fire. If the plane was flying at its proper height and had been shot down, many question how Powers could have survived. It would have been very likely that he would have died in the explosion or from the high altitude ejection. Therefore, many individuals question the validity of this explanation. Several alternative theories have been put forward to explain the downing of Gary Powers spy plane:



Gary Powers was flying his plane below the high flying reconnaissance altitude and was hit by anti-aircraft fire.

Gary Powers actually landed the plane in the Soviet Union.

There was a bomb on board the plane.

The newest and probably least probable explanation offered for the downing of the planes comes from the pilot of a Soviet plane involved in the incident. He claims to have been ordered to ram the spy plane. Admittedly there is little evidence to support this claim. However, it further muddies the waters of explanation. Even though the cause of the incident is shrouded in mystery there is little doubt to the short and long term consequences of the event.



Consequences

The Paris Summit between President Eisenhower and Nikita Krushchev collapsed in large part because Krushchev demanded an apology that Eisenhower was unwilling to give.

Gary Powers was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 3 years imprisonment and 7 years of hard labor. He only served 1 year 9 months and 9 days before being traded for the Soviet spy Colonel Rudolph Ivanovich Abel.

This incident set in motion a pattern of mistrust that culminated in the Cuban Missile Crisis, a time when U.S.-U.S.S.R. relations reached an all time low. No one can predict if the Cold War might have ended sooner had the U-2 incident not occurred.
 
Write a response to this article.  Tell me whether or not you think the United States had the right to spy on the Soviet Union? Why?  Do you think this increased the tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union? How? 

Iran: Are they Nuclear Threat to the World?

Top Israeli official: A nuclear Iran would endanger world stability

 

Washington (CNN) -- Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Friday that Iran's nuclear program poses a danger that extends beyond Israel.
"Iran is not just a challenge for Israel. I believe it is a challenge for the whole world," Barak said in a speech in Washington. "I can hardly think of a stable world order with a nuclear Iran."
Barak said he doubts that Iran is "crazy" enough -- he used the Yiddish word "meshugah" -- to launch a nuclear attack against Israel, but warned the existence of a nuclear-armed Iran could endanger the region, disrupt oil supplies and empower Iran's terrorist allies.

"I don't think the Iranians, even if they got the bomb, are going to drop it in the neighborhood," Barak said. "They fully understand what might follow -- they are radical but not total 'meshugah.' They have a quite sophisticated decision-making process and they understand realities."
Iran maintains it is interested in nuclear development only for power-generation and other civilian uses. But Barak said all countries must reject what he called "the verbal gymnastics" Iran uses to justify its nuclear research

"It means they are not just trying to create a Manhattan-project-like crude nuclear device," he said. "They are trying to jump directly into the second or second-and-a-half generation of nuclear warheads that could be installed on top of ground-to-ground missiles with ranges that will cover not just Israel, but Moscow or Paris."

I don't think the Iranians, even if they got the bomb, are going to drop it in the neighborhood. They fully understand what might follow.
--Ehud Barak, Israeli defense minister

He said Israel supports diplomatic efforts to pressure Iran to change course.
After his speech to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Barak met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the State Department. The United States is working to rally international support for more stringent economic sanctions against Iran.
"Iran is not living up to its responsibilities and we are working with our partners in the international community to increase pressure on Iran to change course," Clinton said in a photo-taking session with Barak.

On efforts to revive stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, Barak said most Israelis are prepared to do what is needed.
"There is a strong, silent majority in Israel which is ready to make tough, painful decisions to reach peace once they feel there is readiness on the other side and we are not having this tango alone," Barak said in his speech.
He insisted that Israel will seek peace and protect its security.

"We have to stand firm on our two feet, open-eyed, without a drop of self-delusion about the realities of our neighborhood, but having one hand, preferably the left hand, looking for any window, turning every stone in order to find opportunities for peace, while the other hand, the right one, will be pointing a finger, very close to the trigger, ready to pull it when it is ultimately a necessity," Barak said.

THIS ARTICLE WAS POSTED ON CNN.COM ON SATURDAY MORNING.  WE HAVE DISCUSSED IN CLASS THE POSSIBLE THREAT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND WAR.  I WANT TO KNOW IF YOU SEE IRAN AS A THREAT TO THE WORLD.  KEEP IN MIND THAT OUR COUNTRY OWNS NUCLEAR WEAPONS AS WELL AS A FEW OF OUR COUNTRY'S ALLIES.  IS IT FAIR FOR US TO HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS, BUT NOT NORTH KOREA OR IRAN?  TELL ME IF YOU THINK IRAN IS A THREAT TO THE WORLD AND DESCRIBE WHY YOU BELIEVE THEY ARE OR NOT.  THANK YOU. 

Iran and U.S.: Imperialism Threat or Overreaction?

Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- Iran has stepped up efforts to combat what it calls American "plots," according to state media, with at least $20 million approved for a special committee to thwart such schemes.


The report from the FARS news agency did not specify what the plots might be, but Iran has previously accused Western powers of stirring up protests over its disputed presidential election in June. The election led to nationwide demonstrations and apparent cracks in Iran's leadership.

A committee composed of the ministries of information, interior and foreign affairs had been approved "to combat American plots," FARS reported Saturday.

The state-media account attributed the information to Fatemeh Alia, whom FARS described as a representative of the people of Tehran and the head of the Human Right Commission of the Parliamentary National Security Committee.

"We put Great Britain right next to America, when it comes to plots against our country and other developing countries, since they are always shoulder-to-shoulder with the Americans," FARS quoted Alia as saying. "Of course, we should not keep our efforts limited to American human rights abuses since the Americans employ a variety of subversive plots against Iran and other developing countries. We also believe that the $20 million budget is not enough and many representatives in the parliament are supporting increasing this budget to $50 million."

FARS did not say how the committee would work against U.S. plots.

U.S. officials were not reachable overnight Saturday for comment about the Iranian declaration. However, the United States and Britain have previously refuted Iran's accusations.

Since we are starting a chapter on Imperialism soon I wanted to a ask a question based on this article. I want you to tell me if you think Iran is overreacting by being angry at alleged U.S. and British "plots"? Do you think our countries are showing signs of being imperialistic by being involved too much in world relations in the Middle East?