Secrets Revealed: Untranslated Russian Sources & the Powers U-2 Shootdown

The May 1, 1960 U-2 Shootdown Over the Soviet Union

Was One of the Key Events of the Early Cold War.

We Thought We Understood It

But Previously Classified Soviet Documents, Not Translated Until Recently,

Suggest a Different Story.

What Really Happened?

Secrets Revealed:

What Previously Untranslated Soviet Sources Tell Us

About the Francis Gary Powers U-2 Shootdown

We think we know how Francis Gary Powers was shot down in a U-2 on May 1st, 1960. Many books and articles have been written on this since the event. What we did not know until recently was the additional information contained in the Soviet records of the investigation of the shootdown which were immediately classified and sent to the Soviet Military Archives. In 2002, they were retrieved and declassified. Since 2012, several new articles based on the recovered records have been written and published in Russia. Some of these were by officers who were involved in the event but were sworn to secrecy during the investigation that followed.

John Schell has used translations based on those records in his research, which has resulted in a recent cover article in Air Power History (68:2, pp. 33-42, Summer 2021). Drawing from that article, “Secrets Revealed” provides a more complete account of the shoot-down as it appears to have occurred.

John begins his presentation with a Cold War overflight summary, including early U-2 overflights with sample images, a description of the SA-2 system operation, and the events leading to 1 May 1960. He follows with a timeline of the shootdown, which involved eight missiles from four sites bringing down a U-2 and a MiG-19 in about 30 minutes. His presentation concludes with a summary of the Soviet official investigation and provides a reason why the information was immediately classified and buried—hidden from public view for over 50 years.

John Schell graduated in April 1970 with a BSEE and MSEE from Penn State and a reserve commission in the USAF. His first assignment took him to Wright-Patterson AFB Avionics Laboratory as a research engineer. He became the QRC project engineer for development and test of SA-2 Fan Song radar detection from RF-4’s for the Vietnam War. Afterward he was project engineer for development of a spotlight mode imaging radar testbed. His work resulted in a new design approach to achieve consistent image quality and high performance.

After initial testbed success, John was transferred to the SR-71 and U-2 Project Office at WPAFB. There he led concurrent development of two radar prototypes employing spotlight mode: ASARS-1 on the SR-71 and ASARS-2 on the U-2. These were both successful and went into production. The ASARS-2 remains in use today, over 50 years after it was first introduced into operations. The technology and image performance have now migrated to many U.S. air-to-ground imaging radars.

John served for a year as the U-2/SR-71 Chief Avionics Engineer and left the Air Force in April 1980. Continuing to work as a support contractor, he performed radar and systems engineering for many ISR Programs. His last job was within the RQ-4 Global Hawk Program Office as lead engineer for interoperability. He retired in 2016 and currently volunteers at the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton, Ohio. His interest in researching Cold War history has resulted in papers on both the U-2 and SR-71. His most extensive research went into his recent article “The SA-2 and U-2: Secrets Revealed” which was published in the Summer 2021 edition of Air Power History.

This is the 51st in a series of presentations sponsored by the Museum featuring eyewitnesses to, and other experts on, significant Cold War-era events and activities.

Date and Time: Sunday, October 10th, 2021 from 2:00-3:30 PM EST. THIS EVENT IS ENTIRELY VIRTUAL, WITH ONLINE ACCESS ONLY, DUE TO THE COVID HEALTH EMERGENCY.

(NOTE: FOR THOSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS PRESENTATION BUT CANNOT ATTEND BECAUSE THEY ARE AT A DISTANCE, HAVE A CONFLICT, ETC., THEY MAY BUY A TICKET VIA EVENTBRITE LIKE ATTENDEES, THEN ACCESS THE EVENT VIDEO ONLINE AFTER THE EVENT VIA A LINK THAT CWM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JASON HALL WILL SEND THEM. TO ARRANGE, EMAIL JASON AT JASON@COLDWAR.ORG.)

Cost: $20, 100% of which is a contribution to the Cold War Museum.

Location: ONLINE ONLY. Eventbrite ticket buyers will receive a link to the virtual room on the Zoom platform where this event will take place. We are recording the whole event, including the Q&A, for the Museum’s archives.

Agenda:

• 1:30-2:00. Participants arrive in the Zoom room online.

• 2:00-2:05. Jason Hall, Executive Director of the Cold War Museum, introduces the Museum and John Schell.

• 2:05-3:00. John presents on Secrets Revealed.

• 3:00-3:30. Q&A opportunity for the audience.

Questions? Call or email Jason Hall, 703-283-4124 (cell), jason@coldwar.org