Francis Powers - Operation Overflight

In short, I was just an airplane jockey, not a spy, paid to fly along an assigned route flipping on and off switches as indicated on a map, with little knowledge of the results of my actions, and even less curiosity.

During the interrogations, I had succeeded, I felt, in making this sound plausible, even convincing. Out of context, however, as it was now, it sounded extremely dubious.

Yet, having stuck to this story during more than a thousand hours of intensive grilling, I wasn’t about to change it now to give Rudenko a perfect case.

I wondered what my parents were thinking. How confused and frightened they must be, seeing their only son on trial for his life in a Moscow courtroom, charged with spying! And Barbara, with all her problems and weaknesses, what was going through her mind? More than anything, I wanted to make it easier for them. But there was no way I could do so, nothing I could say or do to help. Most of all, I was worried about the effect of the verdict. The longer I remained on the stand, the more helpless the situation appeared.

There followed an attempt to make me verify that the granger was supposed to deflect SAMs as well as air-to-air missiles; another to make me admit that in marking down the unlisted airdrome and other observations on my map, I was, knowingly and intentionally, committing espionage.

Q. With what purpose did you make these marks?

A. I was instructed to record everything that was not shown on my map. This is a “pilot’s habit.”

Q. A habit which has espionage purposes?

A. I would have done it over the territory of the United States, too.

Q. But I asked you about the flight over the territory of the Soviet Union. Consequently, it was an intrusion for espionage purposes?

A. I suppose it was.

Q. You do not deny that you invaded Soviet airspace in violation of the law.

A. No, I do not deny it.

To do otherwise, considering the evidence, would have been ridiculous.

Q. Therefore, this intrusion pursued intelligence espionage aims?

A. I suppose so.

Having failed to get an unqualified admission, Rudenko approached from another direction.

Q. You stated here, and during the primary investigation as well, that you switched the equipment on and off at definite points.

A. I did what the chart indicated.

Q. Not knowing what the special apparatus was?

A. I never saw the apparatus.

Q. With the same ease, you could have pulled a switch and released an atom bomb?

A. It could have been done. But this is not the type of plane for carrying and dropping such bombs.

Touché, Prosecutor Rudenko.

I’d caught that one. But Rudenko had been questioning me for more than two hours. And I had been standing every minute. I was extremely tired, mentally as well as physically. And the tiredness was rapidly changing into depression. I had to force myself to stay alert, to listen and consider carefully each question and answer, in order not to make a slip.

Still again: Q. At what altitude was your plane when it was struck by the rocket?

A. It was at the maximum altitude, at about sixty-eight thousand feet.

If the agency hadn’t gotten the message by now, they never would.

Rudenko then switched to the destruct device. I was sure he was going to imply that I didn’t use it because I feared my own destruction also, but he didn’t. Instead he moved on to my survival equipment.

Q. For what purpose were you given the noiseless ten-shot pistol?

A. For hunting.

Q. And for that they also gave you 205 cartridges?

A. Yes.

Q. As far as we know, it is the custom to hunt with hunting rifles.

A. It is difficult to carry hunting rifles on this plane.

Q. Yes, especially on this plane, which has espionage purposes.

A. I think that the pistol that was given to me had nothing to do with the purpose of the flight.

What was he getting at with mention of the pistol? Whatever it was, I wanted to forestall it.

Q. Who gave you the poison needle?

A. It was given to me by Colonel Shelton during the briefing at Peshawar.

Q. For what purpose?

We were back on familiar ground. I knew exactly what he wanted to imply.

A. In case I was captured, tortured, and couldn’t stand the torture and would rather be dead.

Q. This means your superiors directed you in this flight not to spare your life?

A. It was more or less up to me whether to use that pin.

Q. But they gave you that needle with poison?

A. Yes.

Q. They wanted you to blow up the plane, kill yourself, and wipe out all trace?

A. No, they didn’t tell me to kill myself.

Q. But they gave you the needle to kill yourself?

A. If I was tortured.

Q. You were told torture would be used in the Soviet Union?

A. I don’t remember being told, but I expected it.

Q. Were you tortured?

A. No.

Q. How did the interrogation authorities treat you?

A. I have been treated very nicely.

Compared to what I had expected, this was quite true.

It was then established that the U-2 shown to me in Gorky Park was the same one I had flown from Peshawar, though, as I noted, not in exactly the same condition. From here Rudenko went back in time to the particulars of my contract with the CIA, such as my pay and duties.

A. I was told that my main duties would be to fly along the Soviet border and collect any radar or radio information. I was also told there would possibly be other duties.

Q. Did you sign the contract?

A. Yes.

Q. Who signed on behalf of the Central Intelligence Agency?

Finally!

A. I don’t exactly remember, but it was a Mr. Collins. I think he signed in my presence, but there were others who signed it too.

“Collins” hadn’t signed it. But this was the only way I had found thus far to get his “name” in.

Rudenko then attempted to get me to admit that I knew I would be making overflights when I signed the contract. Failing in this, he moved on to Incirlik and Detachment 10-10. And again the attempt to make the operation military:

Q. What were the purpose and aims of the detachment in which the defendant was assigned?

A. In general, to gather information along the borders of the Soviet Union. We likewise conducted weather-research reconnaissance to determine radioactivity.

Q. Who was immediately in charge of the 10-10 detachment?

A. The immediate supervision over the 10-10 detachment was under a military commander, but to whom he was responsible, I did not know.

Q. But it was a military commander?

A. The head of the detachment was a military man.

Q. I understand.

A. But the bulk of the detachment were civilians.

Rudenko didn’t appreciate the qualification.

Who were some of the visitors to the base? he asked. I repeated the names I had given in interrogation.

Q. So Cardinal Spellman interested himself in military bases?

A. I would say that he was interested in military personnel, not bases.

Q. Would Cardinal Spellman give his blessings to persons engaged in spy operations?

A. He was a well-known church figure. I think he wouldn’t think so much of what a person does as what he is.

Following a long series of questions which established that although I carried NASA identification I had no actual relationship to that agency, the presiding judge announced, “We will take a recess until the afternoon session.”

From the hall I was taken to a comfortably furnished anteroom. There was a couch, permitting me to lie down if I cared to. And lunch included the first fresh fruit I had seen since my arrival in Russia—bananas and a piece of watermelon.

Next to my chair was a news magazine called New Time . Published in English in Moscow, it was an obvious imitation of the American Time . I was leafing through it, hopeful of picking up some outside news, when one of the guards, through the interpreter, ordered me to put it down.