Gary Powers Jr
Born June 5, 1965, Gary holds a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy and Master Degrees in Public Administration and U.S. History. Gary is the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of The Cold War Museum located at Vint Hill, VA. He is the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Cold War Theme Study which assists the National Park Service to identify historic Cold War sites for preservation. Gary is the past President and CEO of the Vienna Tysons Corner Regional Chamber of Commerce (2000-2005) and in 2015, he consulted for a Steven Spielberg thriller, Bridge of Spies, about the 1962 spy exchange between KGB spy Rudolph Abel and CIA U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers, Sr. Gary is the author of Letters from a Soviet Prison and Spy Pilot which both help to dispel the fake news surrounding the U-2 Incident. He is a Board Member of the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum near Omaha, NE and an Honorary Board Member of the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. Because of his efforts to honor Cold War veterans the Junior Chamber of Commerce selected him as one of the "Ten Outstanding Young Americans" for 2002. Gary lectures internationally and appears regularly on C-SPAN, the History, Discovery, and A&E Channels. He is married and has one son.
Born June 5, 1965, Gary holds a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy and Master Degrees in Public Administration and U.S. History. Gary is the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of The Cold War Museum located at Vint Hill, VA. He is the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Cold War Theme Study which assists the National Park Service to identify historic Cold War sites for preservation. Gary is the past President and CEO of the Vienna Tysons Corner Regional Chamber of Commerce (2000-2005) and in 2015, he consulted for a Steven Spielberg thriller, Bridge of Spies, about the 1962 spy exchange between KGB spy Rudolph Abel and CIA U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers, Sr. Gary is the author of Letters from a Soviet Prison and Spy Pilot which both help to dispel the fake news surrounding the U-2 Incident. He is a Board Member of the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum near Omaha, NE and an Honorary Board Member of the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. Because of his efforts to honor Cold War veterans the Junior Chamber of Commerce selected him as one of the "Ten Outstanding Young Americans" for 2002. Gary lectures internationally and appears regularly on C-SPAN, the History, Discovery, and A&E Channels. He is married and has one son.
Spy Pilot: Francis Gary Powers, the U-2 Incident, and a Controversal Cold War Legacy
Based on newly available information, the son of famed CIA USAF U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers presents the facts and dispels misinformation about the Cold War military espionage program that turned his father into a Cold War icon. One of the most talked-about events of the Cold War was the downing of the American U-2 spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers over the Soviet Union on May 1, 1960. The event was recently depicted in the Steven Spielberg movie Bridge of Spies. Powers was...
Letters from a Soviet Prison: The Private Journal & Correspondence of U-2 Pilot Francis Gary Powers
My father, Francis Gary Powers, was the CIA USAF military U-2 pilot who was shot down in the midst of the Cold War, on May 1, 1960, while taking photos over the Soviet Union. After his capture, he was tried for espionage and then served nearly two years in a Soviet prison until his eventual release in exchange for Soviet Colonel Rudolf Abel, a senior KGB spy who was caught in the United States in the late 1950s. The two operatives were brought to separate sides of the Glienicker Bridge in...
Steven Spielberg's Cold War Thriller Bridge of Spies
Bridge of Spies is a 2015 historical drama film directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg, written by Matt Charman and the Coen brothers, and starring Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, and Alan Alda. Set during the Cold War, the film tells the story of lawyer James B. Donovan, who is entrusted with negotiating the release of Francis Gary Powers-a CIA USAF military pilot whose U-2 spy plane was shot down...
The Cold War: 1945 - 1991
Format: 1 hour Lecture]
This program is perfect for:
- Universities
- Libraries
- Retirement Communities
- Military Reunions
- Veterans Groups
The audience will leave with:
- An overview of the Cold War
- An overview of Cold War Aerial Reconnaissance
- Online Resources for Further Study
Three-Hour Film Screening of Bridge of Spies with Commentary and Q&A. Separate Fact from Fiction!
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union captures U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers after shooting down his U-2 spy plane. Sentenced to 10 years in prison, Powers' only hope is New York lawyer James Donovan (Tom Hanks), recruited by a CIA operative to negotiate his release. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Francis Gary Powers, Jr. consulted on this film. During the program he will discuss the misinformation in the movie, talk about being on set, working with the cast and crew, and will offer a...
One-Hour Discussion on Letters from a Soviet Prison and Private Correspondence of CIA U-2 Pilot Francis Gary Powers.
Francis Gary Powers Sr was a CIA U-2 pilot who was shot down in the midst of the Cold War, on May 1, 1960, while flying in Soviet airspace. After his capture, he was tried for espionage and then served nearly two years in a Soviet prison until his eventual release in exchange for Soviet Colonel Rudolf Abel, a senior KGB spy who was caught in the United States in the late 1950s. During this program Francis Gary Powers Jr. will talk about his father’s letters to and from prison as well as...
One-hour discussion on the book Spy Pilot: Francis Gary Powers, the U-2 Incident, and a Controversial Cold War Legacy.
Based on newly available information, the son of famed U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers presents the facts and dispels misinformation about the Cold War espionage program that turned his father into a Cold War icon. One of the most talked-about events of the Cold War was the downing of the American U-2 spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers over the Soviet Union on May 1, 1960. On his return to the United States, Powers was exonerated of any wrongdoing while imprisoned in Russia, yet, due...
