Air Force Association 

Gabriel Chapter #433
Notification 

Cold War Museum Presentation

Francis Gary Powers, Jr.

"Spy Pilot: The Truth About What Happened to Francis Gary Powers"

& Cold War Museum Tour 

June 9, 2019

The AFA Gabriel Chapter wants to let you know about a presentation at our AFA Community Partner, the Cold War Museum.  The guest speaker is Francis Gary Powers, Jr., who is a noted U-2 and Cold War authority.

Using newly availalbe informatoin, the son of famed U-2 pilot Frnacis Gary Powers presentrs the facts and dispels misinformation about the Cold War espionage program that turned his father into a Cold War icon.

One of the most talked-about events of the Cold War was the downing of the American U-2 spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers ove rthe Soviet Union on May 1, 1960.  The event was recently depicted in the Steven Spielberg movie Bridge of Spies.  Powers was captured by the KGB, subjected to a televised show trial, and imprisoned, all of which created an international incident.  Soviet authorities eventually released him in exchange for captured Soviet spy Rudolf Abel.  On his return to the United States, Powers was exonerated of any wrongdoing while imprisoned in Russia, yet due to bad press and the government unwiling to heartily defend him, a cloud of controversy lingered until his untimely death in 1977.

His son, Francis Gary Powers, Jr., and acclaimed historian Kieth Dunnavant, have written Spy Pilot, a new account of Powers' life based on personal files never before available.  Using old audio tapes, letters his father wrote and received while imprisoned in the Soviet Union, the transcript of his father's debriefing by the CIA, other recently declassifed documents about the U-2 program, and interviews with the spy pilot's contemporaries, Powers and Dunnavant set hte record straight.  The result is a fascinating piece of Cold War history.  This is also a book about a son's journey to understand his father, pursuing justice, and a measure of peace.  For more information, see the link below. 

To Register for this event, and obtain more information: To Register -- Spy Pilot 

The museum has requested that AFA members SIGN UP for tickets IN ADVANCE, so that the museum can plan for the number of attendees with Old Bust Head. 

The timeline is:

* 1330-1400 - Participants arrive; they may get their beer or other drink at this time.

* 1400-1410 - Jason Hall, Executive Director of the Cold War Museum, introduces the Museum and Gary Powers.

* 1410 -1530 - Gary Powers presents on Spy Pilot.  

* 1530-1600 - Q&A opportunity for the audience.   

* 1600-1700 - The Museum (next door) will be open for event participants, with staff providing a tour for those interested. 

The cost is $35, including the presentation; a $7 coupon toward a craft beer draft, Kombucha, or other drink; a $10 contribution to the Cold War Museum; and special access to the Museum (next door) for the events participants following the presentation.  Tickets at the door, if available, will be $45.  

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