The U2 crisis
Background
By the late 1950s, the relationship between the two Countries who have huge influence or strength, giving them significant global power. was relatively calm. The two leaders, Premier Khrushchev and President Eisenhower, pursued a quiet policy of co-existence even though they remained A set of beliefs or ideas that someone follows or believes in. opposed. However, their domestic political situations demanded that they be seen to defend their country against the other in the Cold War. Eisenhower, especially, was under pressure from American military leaders to build up the USA鈥檚 reserves of nuclear weapons, especially after the Soviet Union surpassed it in satellite technology with the launch of The first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. It influenced the USA to create NASA and started the space race between the two countries. in 1957.
The American military constructed the idea of a The fear of US government officials in the late 1950s and 1960s that Soviet development and production of missile technology had overtaken America鈥檚. between the US and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - collection of states, also known as the Soviet Union., claiming that the Soviets were ahead in the arms race and that the President should spend more money on weapons. They also wanted to spy on the Soviets to discover evidence of this missile building. Eisenhower agreed to the spy missions because he believed it would show that the missile gap did not exist.
There was a A meeting between different nations or political powers where key issues and problems are discussed. meeting between Eisenhower and Khrushchev in the US in 1959, and the two leaders agreed to meet again in Paris the following year.
What was on the agenda for the Paris Summit of May 1960?
- Nuclear weapons and the need for a Test Ban Treaty: both sides knew the destructive potential of nuclear weapons and wanted to avoid turning more of the planet into radioactive no-go areas.
- Berlin: The Soviets were exasperated that East Berliners were escaping to the West in significant numbers.
- Cuba: The Americans were concerned that the recent revolution in Cuba had created a A classless society where all property is owned publicly. government on their doorstep.
The U2 Incident
Just thirteen days before the summit, on 1 May 1960, an American U2 A military aeroplane used for surveillance. , piloted by Gary Powers, was shot down over the USSR. The USA claimed that the U2 was a weather monitoring plane that had lost its way. However, the film that the Soviets retrieved from the plane clearly indicated that Powers had been on a spying mission.
When President Eisenhower arrived in Paris for the summit meeting, Khrushchev demanded he apologise for the mission, and when Eisenhower refused Khrushchev walked out.
Consequences
The Paris Summit ended in failure:
- There was no agreement on a Test Ban Treaty.
- The US was embarrassed as it was shown to be using The act of spying or using spies to gather information. and that it had lied about the U2鈥檚 mission. They no longer held the moral high ground in the Cold War.
- No deal was reached over the future of Berlin or Cuba and both would remain major sources of tension for the remainder of the Cold War.
- The relationship between the USA and the USSR deteriorated even further, heightening Cold War tensions.