A Brotherhood of Spies: The U-2 and the CIA's Secret War

by Monte Reel

A thrilling dramatic narrative of the top-secret Cold War-era spy plane operation that transformed the CIA and brought the U.S. and the Soviet Union to the brink of disaster

On May 1, 1960, an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union just weeks before a peace summit between the two nations. The CIA concocted a cover story for President Eisenhower to deliver, assuring him that no one could have survived a fall from that altitude. And even if pilot Francis Gary Powers had survived, he had been supplied with a poison pin with which to commit suicide.

But against all odds, Powers emerged from the wreckage and was seized by the KGB. He confessed to espionage charges, revealing to the world that Eisenhower had just lied to the American people--and to the Soviet Premier. Infuriated, Nikita Khrushchev slammed the door on a rare opening in Cold War relations.

In A Brotherhood of Spies, award-winning journalist Monte Reel reveals how the U-2 spy program, principally devised by four men working in secret, upended the Cold War and carved a new mission for the CIA. This secret fraternity, made up of Edwin Land, best known as the inventor of instant photography and the head of Polaroid Corporation; Kelly Johnson, a hard-charging taskmaster from Lockheed; Richard Bissell, the secretive and ambitious spymaster; and ace Air Force flyer Powers, set out to replace yesterday's fallible human spies with tomorrow's undetectable eye in the sky. Their clandestine successes and all-too-public failures make this brilliantly reported account a true-life thriller with the highest stakes and tragic repercussions.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Espionage, Politics, War, Russia, Military Fiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published May 8, 2018

About the author

MONTE REEL is the author of two previous books, Between Man and Beast and The Last of the Tribe. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Harper's, and other magazines. He currently writes for Bloomberg Businessweek as part of its Projects & Investigations staff, and previously was a foreign correspondent for The Washington Post. He lives in Illinois.

Reviews

[J.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating and very readable account of the events surrounding the U-2 spy plane. Focusing mainly on four important characters, Monte Reel shows how the U.S. entered the world of spy-craft during an intense period of the Cold War.

In the mid 1950s, there was great concern over the perceived "missile-gap." It was believed that the USSR had developed far more nuclear missiles than the US and that America was at imminent risk. (It must be remembered that many at the time expected nuclear weapons would certainly be used.) The problem was that there was little evidence or knowledge of the actual state of things in the Soviet Union, and America didn't have a knowledgeable spy network. Instead of developing a human system of informants (which would have taken a lot of time), a technological solution was devised.

Edwin Land, the inventor of the Polaroid camera, was enlisted to develop a camera that could produce detailed photos from a great altitude, and Kelly Johnson of Lockheed came up with a very unconventional plane that would fly above 70,000 feet. Richard Bissell of the CIA was charged with overseeing the operation, which was kept out of the military to avoid the appearance of an overt act of war. It was believed that the U-2 would fly so high that it wouldn't be detected by Soviet radar.

Unfortunately, the U-2 was detected on its very first flight. And while Soviet fighter jets couldn't fly high enough to shoot them down, Nikita Khrushchev saw the invasion of Soviet airspace as an act of war. But the information gathered by the U-2 flights turned out to be a goldmine of information for the U.S. until May 1, 1960, when U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down over the USSR. It was believed that neither the pilot nor the plane would survive from such a height, but Powers survived relatively unhurt and many incriminating parts of the plane were recovered.

As I said before, this is a very fascinating account. I came away with an appreciation for not only the men who built and flew the U-2 (even though some of them weren't always very noble), but a better understanding of some of the pressures the leaders of both countries faced. And I especially gained a greater appreciation for the plane itself. Several years ago I saw one at an airshow at Edwards AFB (next to an SR-71 Blackbird in fact) and was stunned at what a weird-looking plane it was (both of them, actually). This is a book I highly recommend for those who enjoy reading about the Cold War. (I rec'd an advance copy of the book through Amazon Vine.)

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

TL;DR

A Brotherhood of Spies is an information packed, readable history of the early days of the Cold War. 9.5/10 Highly Recommended!

Disclosure

Doubleday Books provided an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review. Review cross-posted at my website: PrimmLife

Review

The Lockheed U-2 occupies a unique spot in both aerospace and military history. Operated by the US Air Force but property of the Central Intelligence Agency, the U-2 wrested technology from the military to put it into the hands of the fledgling intelligence community. The CIA wouldn’t be the lovable spy palace it is today if not for the Lockheed U-2. It’s development challenged the aerospace engineering world to produce a high flying, surveillance craft so that the US could spy on the Soviet Union. In order to achieve its mission requirements, it deviated from common military design practices. Quickly the U-2 made a name for itself gathering intelligence and in its high profile crash into the Soviet Union. While the development and operation provide noteworthy stories, it’s the people that drove this project who make the story great. In Monte Reel’s A Brotherhood of Spies from Doubleday Publishing, we learn how “four men working in secret, upended the Cold War and carved a new mission for the CIA.” Mr. Reel builds this well-researched, exquisitely written story around Edwin Land, Kelly Johnson, Richard Bissell, and Francis Gary Powers. I have never been as glued to a history book as I was to A Brotherhood of Spies. It read like a novel while being packed full of information and fascinating character sketches. I cannot recommend Mr. Reel’s book enough. A Brotherhood of Spies satisfied on all fronts: engineering, historical, political, and personal.

A Brotherhood of Spies by Monte Reel uses the lives of four men to chart the course of the Lockheed U-2 project and also the early days of the Cold War. Each man is fascinating in his own right, but Mr. Reel delves further into the story. We get information about their families, their colleagues, their processes, their ambitions, and their preferred alcoholic drinks. The meticulous research that Mr. Reel did is evident in the sheer amount of information he provides us about each man, which made the history come alive for me. Of the four, I enjoyed reading about Edwin Land the most, but each was fascinating in his own right. Although the book focuses on these four men, the cast of characters is large but not overdone. Careful attention is paid to everyone that appears in this book. No one, even Nikita Khruschev – who in lesser hands would have been a mustache twirling villian – got the one dimensional treatment.

Francis Gary Power

Francis Gary Powers, the downed U-2 pilot who was also jailed by the Soviet Union, receives a compassionate portrait in A Brotherhood of Spies. The public and the government treated Powers like a traitor after the incident, and his life never recovered. Since he didn’t suicide and destroy the plane, he failed his mission according to public perception. In reality, he reacted as most people would, and the derision he received was too harsh. Mr. Reel portrayed him fairly and justly by telling Powers story with the high level of scrutiny it needed. The US traded a Soviet spy for Powers, and the movie Bridge of Spies starring Tom Hanks, portrayed half of the other side of Powers trade. Mr. Reel tells Powers side of the story here in A Brotherhood of Spies with much needed perspective.

Research

I loved this book from page one to the end. The notes are extensive and thorough, but the bibliography shines. Mr. Reel provided a bibliography that is long and filled with enticing works. In a world where I’m rich with nothing to do, I’d read through that list. It gave me a number of potential reads to scratch my Cold War itch. Because the research is so thorough, the book exudes information on each page. Before A Brotherhood of Spies, I didn’t know how the Groom Lake test facility started. Throughout the book, Mr. Reel covers the U-2s usage throughout Cold War history and under different presidents, and due to the extensive research, it feels as if Mr. Reel lived through the time itself.

Writing

At the beginning of my copy, the publisher asked that reviewers use no direct quotes until the final copy is published. This frustrated me because the book is very quotable. The writing deserves to be excerpted and shared, but I will respect the publisher’s wishes. Even though this is a history book, it read like a memoir written in third person perspective. The narrative hooked me and delivered information without losing tension. I raced home from work to finish the last bits of this book, and I already placed this near the top of my re-read list. Mr. Reel didn’t just convey information in A Brotherhood of Spies; he told the story of the aircraft and the men who brought into being. I tell anyone who enjoys fiction that this is the nonfiction book for them.

Conclusion

A Brotherhood of Spies leads the non-fiction stack for book of the year for me. It and The Gone World are competing for best book, and the calendar says there’s nine months left in the year. Mr. Reel created a compassionate, holistic look at the America during the Cold War by focusing on the U-2 and the four men who drove its creation and notoriety. A Brotherhood of Spies hooked me from opening and held on till the last sentence. It scratched the itch for a spy thriller while providing historical perspective on tense times in the US’s history. This highly readable account of the development of one of America’s longest operating intelligence gathering aircraft should be widely read. I loved A Brotherhood of Spies and think you will too. Highly recommended!

9.5 out of 10

[Donna Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. Thanks go to Net Galley and Doubleday for the DRC, which I received free and early in exchange for this honest review.

The story begins with a US spy plane being shot down over Soviet (Russian) airspace in 1960. This is embarrassing. Eisenhower’s people decide to make something up; after all, nobody survives an airplane crash over dry land. Moreover, the pilot was provided with a cyanide capsule—James Bond style—so even if he survived, he must be dead; likewise, the plane was likely blown to bits, with not much left for the Soviet investigators to learn.

Let’s say it was a weather plane. It wandered off course, and those mean Soviets shot it down.

But oh dear, this is even more embarrassing: the pilot lived, and he didn’t feel like taking the poison pill. Would you? So the Russians know what he was flying, and they know who he is. They’re telling the world.

Just reading the teaser for this book, I was hooked. But just as a brilliant writer can take dross and make a good tale of it, so can an indifferent one take compelling information and make it into a snooze. For me, this was not an entertaining read. I had agreed to write about it, so I had to read it, and it felt like work.

I want to be fair here: there are people that will read this book and like it. There’s a lot of technical information about the spy plane, and about many other spy planes, some of which were never built. Apart from the truly bizarre one that was supposed to be landed on its belly (no landing gear), or the ridiculous idea of a nuclear powered plane, I found my attention drifting during these descriptions. But I am not interested in aviation, and if you are, you may like this.

The other aspect that causes my attention to wander is the history 101 aspect of it. I’m a retired history teacher. I don’t need an author to walk me through the Cuban Missile Crisis or the Bay of Pigs. However, I note that other reviewers came to this work with no knowledge of either, and they are delighted to be clued in. For newbies, count this as a win.

Finally, I have to credit the source work. Reel didn’t take the easy way out. His end notes are first rate.

For those that are relatively new to this chapter of American history, this may be a compelling read. For those interested in the history of American aviation, it is recommended. For those that are well read in the field, maybe not.

This book is now for sale.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Brotherhood of Spies tells the captivating story of the “marrying of espionage with high-tech innovation.” This is an essential read when trying to understand the original mission of the CIA, and the ethical and technological foundations of modern spy craft. Reel’s narrative poses several questions about the modern tactics of war. An enlightening read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Doubleday Books, and Monte Reel for a copy for review.

Full review can be found here: https://paulspicks.blog/2018/05/10/a-...

Please check out all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a recent, page-turning account of the Francis Gary Powers U-2 affair of the early sixties set within the context of a history of the cold war until the seventies. It also includes a review of the early history of the CIA and the biographies of Powers and his wife as well as of the creators of the spy plane, Edwin Land of Polaroid and Kelly Johnson of Lockheed.

Way back in grade school, while up at grandmother's Michigan cottage, I read another, early account of the downing of Powers' U-2 over the Soviet Union, a copy of that book having been left behind there by some grown-up guest. This book, however, while being a refresher, is much more thorough than its predecessor, much information withheld then having been revealed since.

I strongly recommend this for anyone interested in the history and cultural climate in the United States during the cold war years.

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure first. Mine is an advanced copy of the paperback A Brotherhood of Spies: The U-2 and the CIA's Secret War. It was a prize given to me through a GoodReads give-away. Under the rules and as was explained I was not obligated to read or review the book. It was suggested that an honest review of the book would be considered the polite thing to do.

Because this is a pre-release copy: Every page number in the Table of Contents is page 123, it has no index, every foot note is numbered 000 and there are no pictures. Given the centrality of pictures in this history and the singular role of Polaroid’s founder Edward Land, at least to honor him, the absence of pictures is something the final copy had better correct.

Bottom line first. While well written and thought provoking I doubt that there is much new in Monte Reel’s A Brotherhood of Spies: The U-2 and the CIA's Secret War. It is likely best for the reader who needs a single book that provides this level of detail. For any number of specialists, historians, aircraft enthusiasts, even psychology students it is at best an intro.

Many of us have read somethings about the U2 shoot down and US/Soviet politics. Many remember the key role of the U2 in the Cuban missile crisis. Back in the 70’s I read Francis Gary Power’s: Operation Overflight: A Memoir of the U-2 Incident and the mirror book on his “trading partner” Abel: Biography of Colonel Rudolf Abel. Besides these books and any of several period histories and biographies; I repeat that there is little new here, except that so much of ‘it’ is collected here.

My biggest quibble with the book is the title. We do meet a few men who as individuals and as the inner leadership of the U 2 team achieved some very great things together. There is little of anything that reads like a Brotherhood. Further it is only by playing with words that these people can be described as spies. The afore mentioned Col. Rudolf Abel was a full time spy and enters the book (briefly) because he had been caught at spying against the US for his homeland, the Soviet Union.

No sense of comradery or brotherliness is developed other than among the top three people who dominate the book Very little of what the re-patriated U2 pilot would experience speaks of a brotherhood.

Of the top three, CIA man Richard Bissell is the most problematic. As the make it happen man of the U2 ‘s design and production days he is a prodigiously effective logistician and master of all tasks. Had this program and the future CIA directorate of Science and Technology been his entire legacy, Mr. Bissell would be another example of an American Heroes none of us know about. Unfortunately he became deeply involved in many covert operations including the almost comic efforts to assassinate Fidel Castro, the Bay of Pigs and a number of other operations that today give the CIA such a mixed reputation. Bissell can be said to symbolize Mr. Reels central question. What are the moral aspects of peace time espionage?

Focusing on the U2 itself as the center of this narrative the conundrum become stark.

Absent the intel from these overflights, America would not have the hard data needed to relate Soviet intentions to Soviet capabilities. The proof of this is the fact that U2 pictures over Cuba gave America the time to change to Cold War in favor of peace. However the overflights were understood to be illegal and could have been sufficient to start the war they actually helped to prevent.

Before leaving the U2, a word about the Lockheed Shunk Works. This place is legendary. Not just because it was, in Area 51, where the U2s were built and proved, in record time, the Skunk Works and its driving chief engineer Kelly Johnson did things for this country that demand respect. In Monte Reel’s book we get a few glimpses into the legitimately ‘Golly Gee!’ achievements of this team, but not near enough. The fact that the U2 began its service life in the 1950s and is still performing duties no drone or satellite can be trusted to achieve is an achievement with few if any parallel in aircraft history.

Almost all of us remember, if vaguely a man named Edward Land and his then ground-breaking instant cameras. Few, myself included had heard of him as an American industrial leader with more than just profits as his guide. In Brotherhood. Land stands out as a man conflicted by the duplicity his work in espionage technology entailed, but fundamentally insistent that corporations have a duty to stand for values even at the expense of profit.

The second and almost incidental hypothesis in the Brotherhood is America’s emergence as a master in the technology of espionage. Classically the spy’s job was to see, hear and or steal things by going in close or operating through others who would have first person access on the ‘goods’. Along with the U2 and often based on the work /leadership of the same people, satellite intel and drones would get their start.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deeply researched look at the history of the Cold War that focuses on characters like Edward Land of Polaroid, Kelly Johnston of Lockheed and Richard M. Bissell, the CIA director of planning responsible for the U2 overflights and the Bay of Pigs debacle. I have a personal interest in the biography as my uncle, the columnist Joseph Alsop who was a close friend, is quoted throughout. As a child, I spent lots of time with the Bissell family and they feature in my upcoming memoir, Daughter of Spies. Mr. Reel captures in remarkably accurate detail the scenes and conversations which led to many of the covert operations carried out during the Cold War. My brothers and I did not know or understand the topics and plans being discussed but we were acutely aware of the pervasive aura of secrecy and danger that emanated from the whispered conversations in our living room and around our dining room table.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting, well-written history of the U-2’s development, its overflights, the Gary Powers incident, and its aftermath.

The book doesn’t have any new information, but Reel provides a great introduction to the project and makes it very readable. He also does a good job tying other threads into the story, such as McCarthyism, the ethics of espionage, and the issue of classic HUMINT versus the new technology. The people he mainly focuses on are Bissell, Land, Johnson and Powers.

There is little background on early American reconnaissance systems, and perhaps too much attention is given to the Powers flight versus the wider story of the program. The description of the U-2’s technology can sometimes feel like a chore. Also, sometimes Reel will walk you through events that the reader may or may not be familiar with; if you are familiar with them, the level of detail can be annoying (like the Cuban Missile Crisis, and another such tangent involves Stewart Alsop's honey traps in Moscow) And despite the title, Reel doesn’t really develop any real connections or camaraderie among the people behind the design. Also, we don’t really get a good glimpse into the revolutionary innovations being made at Skunk Works. He also seems to get into the morality of intelligence work a bit too much, and sometimes it seems like Reel genuinely believes using the U-2 was some kind of moral dilemma. Reel also argues, somewhat unconvincingly, that the government's high praise for the U-2 program despite the Gary Powers incident emboldened Richard Bissell to launch aggressive covert actions (i.e. Lumumba, Castro,etc.) and then goes on a distracting tangent detailing the stories of these episodes

There's also some errors here and there, mostly nitpicks. At one point Reel writes that Curtis LeMay wasn't interested in the U-2 because it was unarmed, and because he didn't like Land. But the Air Force already had a contract for a reconnaissance aircraft at the time (the X-16), and not many people were cleared to know about it. After the CIA finalized its U-2 contract, the Air Force canceled the X-16 program. He also writes that the NRO was formed in 1960 (it was the year after) Reel also writes that Allen Dulles retired, even though JFK actually fired him. When writing about the Glienicke Bridge meeting where Powers was swapped for Rudolf Abel, Reel refers to Joe Murphy as a U-2 pilot (he was a security officer)

Still, a well-researched, compelling work.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific, informative, enjoyable read.

While I've always enjoyed reading about history, much of my reading has been focused on Constitutional era United States history. As such, I've read very little on 20th century U.S. history, so while I was aware of the general topics of this book - the U-2 spy plane development, Francis Gary Powers being shot down in the Soviety Union while flying, the Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis - I didn't have the detail that this book provided. Reel focuses and structures the book by primarily detailing the role of four primary individuals in the development and usage of the U-2 plane - Richard Bissell (who worked with the CIA); Edwin Land (founder of Polaroid who pushes for synergizing efforts between the government and science/technology); Kelly Johnson (the primary engineer with Lockheed responsible for designing the plan); and Frank Powers (the pilot of the plane).

Through these four individuals, Reel relays the story of the decision making to begin using technology for spying on other nations, the development of the technology, and the debates over its usage by these individuals and the various decisions makers in the Eisenhower and then Kennedy administrations. In addition, as the CIA was still a fledgling agency at the time these efforts were beginning, Reel shares anecdotes of naivete that are almost incredulous to think about today, but provided moments of humor while reading.

However, Reel's book makes clear how quickly the CIA become so indispensable to administrations and foreign policy discussions. Truly, it is amazing to consider how many felt no need for the agency in the post-WWII era, and then within 15 years after the war, it was knee-deep in tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States, as well as involved in various schemes/plots/fiascos in Latin America as a result of the escalating Cold War.

Reel's writing is strong; as a reader you can't help but notice the humanity of the individuals involved, and you get a true sense of their struggles, their conflicts, their dilemmas. This is most evident in Frank Powers, who endured much in the name of a government who didn't quite know how to acknowledge and accept the spying it was doing, let alone a public that seemed tethered between outright fear of nuclear war and a moral righteousness.

There is much to unpack in Reel's work, and his writing is accessible and very readable, making the book read almost as a mystery novel, while still providing much information and historical context. A fantastic read, one of the better books I've read this year.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was initially puzzled by the polarized early ratings on this book: five "5s" and five "1s". After looking at some web sites devoted to history of aerial reconnaissance, I found that the U-2 story is one of controversy and strong opinions. My take on the book is that it is an even-handed history of the U-2 program, including the controversies associated with it and the CIA. I found it very interesting, although I am not entirely unbiased. My father's cousin Jack Gibbs was an Air Force jet pilot and aeronautical engineer whom I idolized as a kid. Not long ago I learned that from 1956 to 1958 he "served as senior Military Advisor overseeing the U-2 operations, pilot training, research , and development upgrades while reporting to former DNRO Richard Bissel." (quoted from a 2011 National Reconnaissance Office press release titled "NRO Selects 2010 Class of Pioneers." The photo below shows me with cousin Jack in 1956.

[Thomas Radigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the development of the Central Intelligence Agency, and later on the U-2 spy plane. Not by the US Air Force or civilians, but by their own scientists, their idea being to bypass interference from the rest of the federal government and only answer to the Oval Office. The book tells some technical details, but mostly how the concept of espionage, undeveloped and unprecedented in the USA, was finally legitimized and incorporated into the federal government. With little information being otherwise available through normal spies, the U-2 plane and its photographic capabilities would prove ideal to fly over Soviet airspace and photograph places there that could not be seen otherwise.

The U-2 would find out information that surprised the USA, such as the extent of Soviet military but also its underdevelopment, but also military activities in other parts of the world as well. The U-2, despite its older design, would still carry on to the present day despite more advanced planes and satellites being put out since then. With upgrades, it would find things that other aircraft simply were unable to.

The book avoids too much repetition, and to its fault implies that the CIA supposedly was responsible for the overthrow of Arbenz of Guatemala and Mossadegh of Iran. (In reality, those leaders fell due to their unpopularity with their own people, without outside help.) Still overall a good book about the development of espionage in the US federal government, as well as the aircraft in question.

[Kody Dibble · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating true story of the U-2 spy plane, the CIA and Cold War was full of valuable insight not only into the facts of the situation but the personalities of the people involved. From LeMay's hawkish stance on obliterating Russia, to Aslops fall into a Russian honey trap we get a glimpse into it all. The descriptions of the pilot's who flew the planes, and even their inner lives is captured in this book. Overall a great read!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and very readable account of the U-2 spy plane, from its development to the most (in)famous stage of its history when Francis Gary Powers was shot down during a mission overflying the USSR. While I was familiar with much of this from other books I've read on the subject, this was nevertheless an excellent read on the subject, covering quite a bit of ground.

[Marianne Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! A no-holds bar account of the U-2 incident and the role the CIA had ... a "for real" spy story!! Recommend for readers who like history, politics and espionage stories.

[Andres Recalde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up in the sixties, this recount from declassified documents enlighten my understanding of global affairs from that era. Even more, as a Latin American, the concept of "political war" endorsed by CIA explains well many US instigated interventions in the region. How much of it is playing today?

[LuAnne Feik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers can approach A BROTHERHOOD OF SPIES from one of two perspectives. Monte Reel's book covers development of the first U-2 plane capable of providing detailed photographs while flying, without being shot down, over enemy territory; the interception of the U-2 by the USSR and the capture, trial, captivity, and swap of U-2 pilot, Francis Gary Powers; the use of U-2 planes during the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba; and the discovery of the USSR's offensive missiles in Cuba.

Those familiar with the basic facts of this history, either because they were alive while they happened or because they picked up a few details from the movie, BRIDGE OF SPIES, will find themselves more interested in the Washington machinations involved then and now. Inter-agency competition to lead the U-2 project pitted the air force and CIA against each other the same way THE LOOMING TOWER recounts competition between the FBI and CIA prior to 9/11 and the same way President Trump vies with the Department of Justice.

Khrushchev, often portrayed to the US public in the 1960s as a "blustery clown," in reality was resourceful and a man with a "good sense of political timing...and a touch of the gambler's
instinct." Might those observations also apply to both President Trump and Kim Jung-un?

While technology, as Richard Bissell, head of CIA's covert operations, said, advanced "the art of political warfare", human intelligence gathering continues to be as vital a part of espionage as it was when US Ambassador in Moscow, Llewellyn "Tommy" Thompson, overheard a conversation that disclosed Francis Gary Powers "hit the silk." In other words, he deployed his parachute and might be alive after his plane was shot down.

Finally, the media continues to play as much of a role now as it did in Eisenhower's and Kennedy's administrations. The press uncovered false cover stories floated by both presidents, the way it has uncovered President Trump's lies. A less favorable aspect of the media is the way columnists are in a position to express opinions that slant stories. Powers found himself compared unfavorably to the captured Revolutionary War spy, Nathan Hale, and all he went through as a captured U-2 pilot discounted. Also, although President Kennedy authorized the inadequate air cover that doomed the Bay of Pigs invasion, Bissell became the media's fall guy. At times, James Comey must feel like Bissell.

[Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, engaging read. Knowing nothing other than the name Powers and that it was a public mis-step in the Cold War this book really brought to life this episode in our country's history. Highly recommended.

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The tenacity with which human beings, and governments, can stick to a fixed notion, even in the face of overwhelming proof to the contrary, is quite incredible”. - Francis Gary Powers

***I listened to the audio book***

- Edwin Land (creator of Polaroid and anti-glare coating) was instrumental in U-2 development: https://www2.rowland.harvard.edu/book...
- B-52-like Soviet bomber that US was convinced the Soviets could not develop; impetus for U-2 creation
- Origin of Lockheed ‘Skunk Works’ name was because a Lockheed plant was near a plastic factory and it smelled terrible
- Used Kotex to contain oil from leaky oil filter problem that would get in the cockpit and possibly interfere with the camera
- Pressure suit to keep blood from boiling and trained to ensure pilots were not claustrophobic
- Helmet (backup) used by Gary Powers: https://airandspace.si.edu/collection...
- Powers online collection of Smithsonian: https://sova.si.edu/details/NASM.1994...
- Pre-breath prior to flight (like astronauts) to purge body of nitrogen: http://blogs.esa.int/alexander-gerst/...
- Less than 1000 feet of runway needed
- Had to kill the engine prior to landing
- U-2 had aluminum skin 2/100 inch thick
- The plane had a self-destruct button that had a 70 second delay. It would allow the pilot to destroy the camera and other critical components.
- U-2 pilots were given ‘L’ (stands for lethal) pills that they could choose to crush between their teeth if captured.
- An improvement to L pills - one Gary Powers would take on his fated flight - was a silver dollar. It was a hollow coin that contained a needle filled with lethal shellfish toxin.
- Eisenhower decided each and every U-2 flight due to political sensitivities.
- Soviet radar initially could track the U-2 flights. MiGs could not fly high enough to intercept.
- A Boy Scout troop found a briefcase full of Top Secret documents about the U-2 program. The briefcase had been lost during a crash of a support aircraft.
- The location of an imagery interpretation lab in DC had been compromised because someone had early on posted a notice on the door that said ‘Rented to the CIA’.
- Gary Powers’ wife surprised everyone by flying herself to Athens, Greece to be near her husband (because that is where he was told to tell her that is where he was)
- The supposed bomber gap followed by a supposed missile gap

Gary Powers Shot Down
- 1 May 1960
- Gary Powers’ U-2 was damaged as the result of a Soviet S-75 Dvina missile that exploded behind the plane. The blast caused structural damage that made Powers lose control and a wing ripped off.
- Powers did not eject (he thought it would cause his legs to be cut off due to the U-2 cockpit design requiring the pilots’ legs to be wedged under the console) but simply pushed off the canopy.
- Powers tried, but could not reach the self destruct button before leaving the aircraft.
- The Russians, while trying to shoot down Powers, ended up accidentally shooting a missile at one of their own MiG-19s that had been scrambled. The pilot was able to eject after being hit but died from a wound on his side. His death was embarrassing because he was hit mistakenly by a Soviet missile. The truth was covered up for decades and right after his death was celebrated as a hero.

Gary Powers Captured
- Items of Powers from his time in Russia: https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/ed...

Corona Satellite Program
- The Corona satellite was being developed around the time of the U-2
- Both U-2 and Corona seen as tools that could benefit one another
- Corona film was physically sent back to earth and retrieved by aircraft
- This video briefly describes Corona: https://youtu.be/cktmP_z9sxM
- This short video shows the retrieval process: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MJcZbs9...#
- Richard M. Bissell, Jr., helped develop Corona and was part of U-2

Bay of Pigs
- The US faced the problem of helping the invasion force but also wanting it to look like a native force.
- Marine Commandant was unable to attend briefing and USAF vice, Gen Curtis LeMay filled in. LeMay was, surprisingly, against air cover for the operation.
- Bay of Pigs chosen as invasion site because it was lower profile. However, it was near a swamp, vice mountains, where the rebels could have fled to fight another day if invasion faced problems.

‘A Bridge of Spies’
- On Feb 10, 1962, Powers was exchanged, along with U.S. student Frederic Pryor, in a well-publicized spy swap at the Glienicke Bridge in Berlin.
- Powers was brought to a CIA safe house, Ashford Farm, on Maryland’s eastern shore.

A New Life for Powers
- He was able to meet with his parents and later with his wife, Barbara. While Powers was in Russia, his wife had gained 30 pounds and had been briefly committed to a mental institution. She had always been a heavy drinker.
- Powers eventually had enough of his wife’s erratic behavior and filed for divorce
- Powers returned to work for the CIA for a time and then went to work for Lockheed in Burbank, CA...as a U-2 test pilot.
- Throughout the remainder of his life, Powers’ loyalty to the US was questioned. The CIA even awarded him the Intelligence Star in 1965, but told not to tell anyone about it.
- In 1977, Powers eventually got a job flying a helicopter for KNBC TV. His chopper crashed while covering a brush fire.

Cuban Missile Crisis
- Corona imagery detected a Soviet build-up in Cuba. U-2 flights were used to obtain better imagery.
- Major Rudolph Anderson was the only American casualty of the Cuban Missile Crisis, shot down by SA-2 surface to air missiles on Oct 27, 1962.
- The crisis let to the creation of the Limited Test Ban Treaty.
- After the crisis, Kennedy praised the U-2 program for the imagery it delivered, which led to knowledge of the offensive Soviet missiles.

FACTOIDS
- Julia Childs was an OSS clerk.
- The U-2 had specially-designed fuel that was highly resistant to flames.
- A U-2 filmed the launch pad that put Sputnik into orbit.
- USAF general Curtis LeMay hated the design of the U-2. He thought it was dumb and did not like the fact that it had no weapons.
- The fact that the U-2 was unarmed helped with its cover story that it was a civilian craft that was conducting tests in the higher altitudes.
- U-2 mentioned/leaked in ‘Model Airplane News’ in 1958: http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gal...
- The CIA developed the A-12 ‘Oxcart’ airplane, which in a sense, was the predecessor of the USAF’s SR-71 (SR stands for strike/reconnaissance) ‘Blackbird’: https://gizmodo.com/the-story-of-the-...
- A-12 vs SR-71 (graphic of specs): https://www.cia.gov/news-information/...
- Over 30 years of missions, not a single SR-71 aircraft or pilot was lost
- The A-12 was developed as a super-sonic, high altitude improvement to U-2.
- Richard M. Bissell, Jr. was responsible for U-2 program and Corona satellite. He became CIA Deputy Director for Plans during Bay of Pigs.

Bonus
- Video of Wall Street Journal journalist going on U-2 flight: http://www.wsj.com/video/spying-high-...

[Jim Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I won this book in a Goodreads’s contest. I entered the contest for this book because of my 36 years of military service 6 were spent in active use of the U-2’s real time electronic intelligence intercept overseas. I found the book enlightening from a Silent Warrior perspective as it filled in the gaps of what was going on and driving the missions from a higher level than we on the ground were operating at. It gave that “big picture” perspective. I found the book readable, chronologically detailed and accurate for the most part. A good Cold War primer.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, a sincere title that reflects very well the contents. CIA has naturally all its activities secret. And they have participated in all wars since day one, when OSS was over.

Anyway, this is the book of one of those jaded journalists that have to take the few facts they have and twist them into a fairy tale in order to sell. So you get small talk that never existed, aberrant weather details and so on.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Monte Reel does not specifically address the question, but after finishing this book I asked, “Did the U-2 help prevent, or did it provoke the chance of nuclear war in the 1960s?”

The Prevent Argument:

Overflights of the Soviet Union exposed the fact that the bomber and missile gap between the United States and its Cold War adversary did not exist (or was in favor of the United States). The information collected by the U-2 therefore undercut the argument of those who wanted to launch a preemptive strike against the Soviet Union and those who engaged in fear-mongering.

Flights exposed early on the actions of the Soviet Union to base nuclear missiles in Cuba and contributed to a successful resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The Provoke Argument:

The decision to proceed with an overflight on a major Communist holiday, May 1, 1960, torpedoed the arms reduction talks Eisenhower and Khrushchev were scheduled to have, fueled the cold war, and led to an expensive arms race on both sides. It may have provoked Khrushchev’s decision to base missiles in Cuba in the first place.

This is not, however, a book about geopolitical decisions but rather the more granular history of how the U-2 came to be, a profile of the four individuals directly involved in its funding, development, and operation, and about the nature of American espionage against the Soviet Union.

The fact is that America is not very good at spying at the “human spy” level (human intelligence) and the Soviets were (and the Russians still likely are) much better. This was and still is due to the open society of America vs. the closed society of the Soviet Union/Russia. It is also due to our lack of patience. We aren’t very good at recruiting individuals with local cultural knowledge and grooming them extensively for their role as spies. We don’t plant a sleeper among our adversaries and wait patiently for ten or more years for that person to embed themselves in senior levels of our adversaries’ institutions. The Communists historically have been much better at that.

To overcome such an asymmetric capability, the U.S. typically falls back on technology, and thus the U-2. The designer of the aircraft, Kelly Johnson, is credited with the U-2 and so many other legendary military and civilian aircraft at Lockheed. Much less well known was the role of Edwin Land, who developed instant photography and headed Polaroid, and who designed the lenses that took such amazing spy photos. Richard Bissell, later discredited for Bay of Pigs and other CIA controversies, got the plane funded. And Francis Gary Powers is best known of all as the pilot who got shot down and survived to be traded for a Soviet spy.

Those interested in the operational details will be fascinated by the description of how difficult this aircraft was to fly, and how the Soviets managed to shoot it down. (It was an extremely fragile aircraft and the missile probably did not achieve a direct hit which would have killed Powers instantly, only exploding near enough to sever the tail assembly from the rest of the aircraft, making it impossible to fly.) Initially, U.S. analysts concluded that Powers had carelessly descended from 70,000 feet (thought to be outside missile range) to 48,000 feet). But that was based upon interception of Soviet radio talk as they tracked the aircraft. Instead, the Soviets had managed to shoot down one of their own planes at the lower altitude, killing the pilot. Kelly Johnson had the best understanding of what had happened and defended Powers.

Intelligence gathered by the U-2 was so valuable that it rapidly led to investment in new technologies such as satellite reconnaissance, stealth aircraft technology, and the use of unmanned drones. Still, Reel tells us, the U-2 remains operational and in certain situations its capabilities exceed other, later satellite and aircraft developments.

This was a well written and well researched book that should appeal to fans of aircraft technology, those who like a good “whodunit”, and those interested in spy craft as a tool of international relations and policy.

[Corinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Historically, spying wasn't an American strength, and this was often considered a point of pride, not a shortcoming. A lot of Americans considered espionage an unseemly pursued that had no place in a democracy that championed the freedom of information and ideas."

"Eisenhower was just beginning to articulate a new concept that he'd later tag with an enduring label- 'the military-industrial complex.' Before World War II, the concept didn't exist, because the country didn't have an industry dedicated solely to the weapons of war. Now it did, and those companies had learned that fear was good business. For a man who'd earned his reputation as a military commander, Ike was in a strange position: he deeply respected military institutions, yet he lamented the rise of a class of permanent warhawks who seem to think the solution to all of America's ills was to spend more on defense. It was his vast military experience, he believed, that allowed him to see through their arguments and prevented the senators from taking advantage of him through crude patriotic appeals. 'God help the nation when it has a President who doesn't know as much about the military as I do,' he said."

"Land's work with the CIA, which he treated as a crusade to defend an open society, was built upon a necessary compromise: secrecy. The complications and contradictions that resulted from that foundational trade-off, in which he sacrificed a part of the very ideal he was working to protect, only intensified as surveillance technology- a phenomenon he helped create- gained wider acceptance throughout the government."

[Maynard Handley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly good read because of the variety of material it covers.

From the title, it's natural to assume that this book will tell you something of the U2 program, and something of the CIA, and it indeed it does. But it's a broad history of the best sort, putting everything in context. For example you'll be given a lot of background into how the Soviets behaved under a variety of conditions and provocations (and can decide for yourself just how accurate were American claims regarding them). Likewise you'll get to see that the only difference between the press (and the Democratic party at the time, now it's the Republican party) and now is the speed at which lies are uncovered; certainly there wasn't any special greater love for the truth back then --- including a remarkable (and apparently totally made-up) fake news on-air claim by Walter Cronkite.

In many ways this is a deeply depressing book because it makes it clear that there never was some wonderful smarter, braver, less corrupt America to which we might return if we could only get our act together. The only difference between now and then is that the secrets get out sooner, and the primary actors care even less about the morality of what they're doing. There were, just like today, a few admirable individuals, along with a vast machinery of highly non-admirable others.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a classic example of the "narrative non-fiction" genre -- just as it says, a true and well-documented story told in the form of a novel. In this case, the story is the development of overhead photography, starting with the U-2 high flying aircraft and leading to satellite photography. It involves an amazing set of characters; the most important and unexpected, perhaps, is Edwin Land, the inventor of the Polaroid camera, among many other things, whose role as a one-man think tank for the US government was almost unknown outside the inner circles of power. Highly detailed photos taken from very far away totally revolutionized modern intelligence. Yes, there are still spies, and they can be invaluable in certain cases, but one high altitude pass of a U-2 with long lens cameras can produce more useful intelligence than an army of spies on the ground laboring away for years. I happened to be in the intelligence community during the time of the U-2 development and the sensational crash of Francis Gary Powers. So I was inclined to find this story riveting, but I also learned something new on almost every page. If you have any interest at all in this cluster of issues, you will find this story irresistible.

[Ernest Spoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was ten-years-old when Francis Gary Powers' U2 was shot down over the Soviet Union.

I was 12 during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

I was 27-years-old when Francis Gary "Frank" Powers died in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles.

What I didn't know was everything else Monte Reel covers in this book.

The real protagonist of this book is the U-2 spy plane. And without a doubt the U-2 is a remarkable feat of aeronautic engineering. It has long outlasted its successor the SR-71 Blackbird in length of service.

Of the men, and yes it was a male dominated society, who fostered the U-2 I knew the names and something of what they had done in the name of national security from other books. The one figure who was a revelation was Edwin Land, the inventor of the Polaroid Land Camera. Land was, without doubt, the primary motivator behind the development of the U-2, its, what we term today, high tech cameras, and, the U-2's ultimate successors, orbital surveillance satellites.

This book is so fascinating. I haven't enjoyed reading a piece of non-fiction this much this season.

[RJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a definitive story about the making of the U-2 spy plane piloted by Gary Francis Powers over the Soviet Union. Falsely accused of providing secret info to the Russians, he spent two years in their prison and was true to his country. The mission disrupted his life, helped to end his marriage, left him in unsatisfactory jobs upon his return, and ended in his death reporting the weather in a helicopter for a California radio station. I think he should be remembered as a brave American hero.
While non fiction history usually recounts past wars, the depression years, American expansion, slavery, Abe and George, Teddy and FDR, this book brings history more up to date with info about the workings and changing of the CIA, the Bay of Pigs blunder, the Cuban missile crisis, relations with Khrushchev, Ike's military industrial complex, current science and technology use by government,people like reporter Joe Alsop, Gen. Curtis LeMay, the false missile gap repeated by JFK, and the men behind the development of the U2 , especially genius Edwin Land, polaroid inventor. I learned a lot ! : )

[Scott Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Audiobook) This book attempts to shed some light on the development and employment of the U-2 spy plane by the CIA in the heart of the Cold War. It does a solid job of reviewing the bigger geo-political scene between Russia and the United States, noting how tensions ebbed and flowed between the two superpowers. It then mixes in the tale of how the CIA developed the U-2, and how the CIA had such grand visions for the asset...at least until the shoot-down of Francis Powers. From there, the book follows the tale of Powers, and the road from the shoot-down to the Cuban Missile Crisis. It does not spend too much time on one aspect of the CIA, Powers, USA vs. USSR, but mixes all of the components together to bring some light into a story that not always will told. Some aspects might be found wanting for further information, but the book is good enough in providing enough details for a solid one-time read/listen. The reader is okay...nothing spectacular.

[Kem White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a superb book for what is, unfortunately, probably a relatively small audience. An interest in Cold War history, aeronautics, and the intelligence community are requisite to really enjoy this mid-20th Century history. But it's a history that can be appreciated by anyone. The book deserves a wide audience. It is very well written and faced paced.

The book traces the accomplishments of Edwin Land, Richard Bissell, Kelly Johnson, and Frank Powers. Together they pioneered the concept of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and the concept's embodiment in the U-2 aircraft. How the U-2 came to be and the engineering (and security!) challenges to deliver it are fascinating as is the story of how the aircraft became an important element in US intelligence gathering in the Soviet Union and Cuba. Highly recommended for those interested in US history, the IC, and aircraft engineering. Recommended for everyone else.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. It really fleshes out several events in history that are often given superficial coverage, and shows how the Cold War was contested -- not just between the USA and the USSR, but also between the intelligence community, the military, the government, and industry. The centerpiece of the book is the shootdown of U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers over the USSR in 1960, but the political complexities involved in the development of the U-2 spy plane (and its associated technologies), the growth of the CIA, the Bay of Pigs debacle and the Cuban Missile Crisis are all covered. All are lucidly elaborated in a way that gives the reader insight without getting too bogged down in detail.

This is a fascinating book and a must-read for anyone with an interest in aviation or history.

[Jean Mehochko · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good book about the U-2 spy plane developed in the late 1950s/early 1960s, its flights over Russia and Cuba, its oversight by the CIA. Biographical info on the many people involved in its development --, the idea men, engineers, military, the pilots. Very well woven together, and I finished it with much more insight into the expansion of the CIA and its covert operations around the world. Also provided much detail, some of just recently revealed about Francis Gary Powers whose U-2 was knocked down by the Russians, his subsequent capture, trial, and imprisonment, and his life after his release. Very interesting.