Operation Overflight; The U-2 spy pilot tells his story for the first time
by Powers, Francis Gary, with Gentry, Curt
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very good/Fair
- ISBN 10
- 0030830451
- ISBN 13
- 9780030830457
- Seller
-
Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good/Fair. 375 pages. Illustrations. Some wear, tears, chips, and creases to DJ edges. DJ spine creased, rear DJ soiled, front DJ flap price clipped. Francis Gary Powers (August 17, 1929 - August 1, 1977)-often referred to as simply Gary Powers-was an American pilot whose Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) U-2 spy plane was shot down while flying a reconnaissance mission in Soviet Union airspace, causing the 1960 U-2 incident. He later worked as a helicopter pilot for KNBC and died in a 1977 helicopter crash. Powers was discharged from the Air Force in 1956 with the rank of captain. He then joined the CIA's U-2 program at the civilian grade of GS-12. U-2 pilots flew espionage missions at altitudes of 70,000 feet, supposedly above the reach of Soviet air defenses. The U-2 was equipped with a state-of-the-art camera designed to take high-resolution photos from the stratosphere over hostile countries, including the Soviet Union. U-2 missions systematically photographed military installations and other important sites. Derived from a Kirkus review: On May 1, 1960, Francis Gary Powers was shot down over Russia in a U-2 surveillance-equipped aircraft, captured and served up by Khrushchev in some elaborate summitry complete with trial, sentencing and imprisonment. Powers still smarts from what he considers to be a scapegoat's burden. What apparently rankled others was that Powers turned up alive and did not "self-destruct" and that he confessed his sins at the trial. "Confession" was the primary defense in the Soviet court system, and Powers faced possible execution. Powers recalls the events from his capture through his release and interrogation at home, where he was a political untouchable, with considerable bitterness. He has a good deal to say about messes in high Washington places. These revelations, skillfully transmuted by Mr. Gentry, are a moving study, with some pathos, of an earnest, unsophisticated, honest and wounded man who had been expected to perform as something more than human.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Ground Zero Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 56801
- Title
- Operation Overflight; The U-2 spy pilot tells his story for the first time
- Author
- Powers, Francis Gary, with Gentry, Curt
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very good
- Jacket Condition
- Fair
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- ISBN 10
- 0030830451
- ISBN 13
- 9780030830457
- Publisher
- Holt, Rinehart and Winston
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1970
- Keywords
- Espionage, Intelligence, Spying, Aerial Photography, Soviet Union, Russia, Cold War, U-2 Spyplane, CIA
Terms of Sale
Ground Zero Books
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About the Seller
Ground Zero Books
Biblio member since 2005
Silver Spring, Maryland
About Ground Zero Books
Founded and operated by trained historians, Ground Zero Books, Ltd., has for over 30 years served scholars, collectors, universities, and all who are interested in military and political history.
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Much of our diverse stock is not yet listed on line. If you can't locate the book or other item that you want, please contact us. We may well have it in stock. We welcome your want lists, and encourage you to send them to us.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Soiled
- Generally refers to minor discoloration or staining.
- Price Clipped
- When a book is described as price-clipped, it indicates that the portion of the dust jacket flap that has the publisher's...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...