What was the U-2 Incident?

• A. The downing of a US U-2 spy plane over the Soviet Union in 1960
• B. The Paris Peace Conference
• C. A Soviet air defense drill
• D. The launch of Sputnik

Answer: (A)

The U-2 Incident refers to the downing of a United States U-2 spy plane over the Soviet Union in 1960. The high‑altitude reconnaissance aircraft, piloted by Francis Gary Powers, was shot down by a Soviet missile while on a covert overflight, and Powers was captured. The United States initially claimed it was a weather research mission, but the Soviets showed Powers and the wreckage, leading to admission of espionage and a backlash in Cold War tensions. The incident helped derail a planned Eisenhower–Khrushchev summit in Paris and deepened mistrust between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Other events listed—such as the Paris Peace Conference, the launch of Sputnik, or a Soviet air defense drill—are unrelated to this specific incident.