A U-2 spy plane, piloted by American Francis Gary Powers, was shot down over Russia on May 1, 1960. This happened just before a major meeting between the US and Soviet leaders was supposed to start. The plane was trying to take photos secretly inside Soviet territory. At first, the US government pretended the plane was just a weather research plane from NASA. But this lie didn't hold up when Soviet officials showed the captured pilot and some spy gear, including photos.
The whole situation was a disaster for the US. It destroyed the friendly feeling from a recent meeting at Camp David and made the big summit meeting in Paris impossible. The Pakistani government later apologized for letting the plane use its airport. The Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, used this to embarrass the American president, Dwight D. Eisenhower. The US cover-up failed completely, exposing the real purpose of the flight. This event significantly damaged the already fragile peace between the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
