And blow up the plane. What part of that did he not understand? It would have saved everyone a who lot of trouble. And why give him all those awards and metals? The guy who jumped out the window in Paris in the Bourne Identity got it.
shareThat's not true, actually.
to johnston.scot.....
Not being argumentative, however, what exactly are you saying isn't true, because if you're disputing the fact that Lieutenant Powers was expected to "spend the dollar", I'd be interested in knowing the logic used for you to have reached that conclusion.
It's not logic, it's research.
The "suicide pin" was provided in case he wanted to use it to avoid torture or the like. Both its use, and whether he even wanted to bring it, were optional.
There wasn't a mechanism to destroy the aircraft. There was one to destroy the photographic equipment, but - approximately as depicted in the movie - in the course of getting out of the aircraft, Powers attempted to and was unsuccessful in triggering it.
In any event, the mission's planners had (incorrectly, obviously) assumed that any incident that took down such a high-altitude and fragile plane in flight would kill the pilot and destroy the aircraft and the equipment anyway.
http://blog.nasm.si.edu/aviation/busting-u2-myths/
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/gary-powers-secret-diary-soviet-capture-180956939/?no-ist
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35064221
https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2015-featured-story-archive/francis-gary-powers.html
They shouldn't've provided him with a parachute if spending the dollar was expected. I thought it odd that the Russians found the dollar. And why didn't the plane have a self destruct mechanism if it was compromised?
shareBriefly, no parachute would be tantamount to suicide mission, which officially, wouldn't be acceptable. The cyanide pin was more of a personal option, again, not something that could be officially sanctioned as an order. The plane was experimental and lightweight, so a Hollywood style "self-destruct" wasn't realistic. It did have a small destruct for the spying equipment. It still served the purpose of having a "weather plane" as a cover story.
Also it's explicitly stated in the film that he is only to kill himself if he goes down over Russia. If he had to bail over a friendly country obviously he would want the parachute.
shareJust another detail the movie got wrong. Powers removed the poison needle from the dollar; he hid the needle and threw away the dollar.
Ranb
These claims are so stupid. The two pounds of dynamite were there to destroy the camera and film, probably not even enough to do that properly. Powers was under no obligation to bring the poison needle (a pill was also an option) and not required to use it if he brought it.
Which awards do you think he did not deserve and why?
Ranb
Didn't his Commanding Officer tell him very specifically that he was not to captured under any circumstance? And that he was expected to use the poison pin?
shareHe may have in the movie (I don't remember, actually).
I interpreted the original post as a question about real life. In real life, the poison pin was optional. He wasn't even required to carry it, much less use it.
In any event, the reason he didn't use the pin in the movie was because he didn't in real life ... and, among the reasons he didn't in real life was because he wasn't expected to.
As an aside: he didn't have a "commanding officer." He was a civilian contractor.
Main problem you got here is you're assuming the movie is a documentary. In REAL LIFE only ONE silver dollar was ever made. It was only for if a pilot was being tortured. The idea was that if the whole U2 program got to a point that pilots had to start committing suicide that the program would be ended.
The REAL U2 planes had no self destruction mechanism. It would of added too much weight. Only the camera could be destroyed. It was thought that if the plane was ever taken down it would get so destroyed from the crash that the enemy wouldn't be able to identify any of the parts.
The pilots were all told ahead of time, that if captured, to tell the enemy what their mission was. It was better to let the enemy know they were spying then the enemy assuming they were trying to attack.
You can read all the TRUE facts here: https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/bridge-spies-opportunity-bust-myths-about-u-2-and-capture-gary-powers
"Common sense is not so common"
Thanks for referencing the article. Some interesting info there.
Seems very odd that they would have produced only a single silver dollar for use as a suicide device. I understand the rationale -- that a single failure would have brought about termination of the program. But what about logistics? Was the coin supposed to be passed around from U-2 pilot to U-2 pilot? Was there never more than one pilot in the sky at a time?
Moreover, one would think this silver/pin combination -- or some other easily concealed quick-death suicide device -- would have been useful among a number of other members of our intelligence and military services. So why would they have to develop a special device just for this one application, and then only create one?
(FYI, I realize these are rhetorical questions and that you probably don't have the answers.)
The pilots were all told ahead of time, that if captured, to tell the enemy what their mission was. It was better to let the enemy know they were spying than the enemy assuming they were trying to attack.
The pilots were all told ahead of time, that if captured, to tell the enemy what their mission was. It was better to let the enemy know they were spying than the enemy assuming they were trying to attack.
This seems a bit odd, too. We knew that the Soviets had had no trouble tracking our U-2 overflights.
In REAL LIFE only ONE silver dollar was ever made. It was only for if a pilot was being tortured.This doesn't not make sense to me. Are POWs (or a captured suspected spy) allowed to keep their personal items? Or is this silver dollar hidden like the watch in Pulp Fiction? share
In REAL LIFE only ONE silver dollar was ever made. It was only for if a pilot was being tortured.
This doesn't not make sense to me. Are POWs (or a captured suspected spy) allowed to keep their personal items? Or is this silver dollar hidden like the watch in Pulp Fiction?
I understand this obviously. But notice I'm questioning your original assertion that it is to be used only if one is being tortured. 🤔
Captured suspected spies or POWs are not tortured on the spot. Yes, they may be beaten but torture is after apprehension and the silver dollar would have been confiscated.
Again, I get the obvious usage. As a pilot, you are downed. You see enemy closing in. You're wounded. Suicide is an option.
From what I read about the program there was only 1 silver dollar ever made. It was never really intended to be used as it was almost guaranteed that if a U2 was taken down the pilot would die from the crash.
That one dollar was given as an after thought which would explain why it doesn't make much sense since (like you said) it would probably get confiscated.
I think there is a misconception that the government is (especially the spy sector) run by all knowing geniuses who think of everything, when in reality they make tons of stupid mistakes and just rely on the illusion that they are more capable then they actually are.
"Common sense is not so common"
Powers didn't need to use it, or so he thought, because at the time the SR-1 was thought to be so high (and the U.S. knew from previous flights that the Soviets were unaware of its existence) that there was no chance of being shot down. Except the Soviets had unknowingly to the U.S. developed missiles that could reach that high.
shareThe aircraft was a U-2. I don't know what an SR-1 is (though SR-71 is what the later successor to the U-2 is most often called).
The US knew that Soviet radar could track U2s and had been tracking them for years, but they didn't expect (a) they could down one (as you say) and (b) that if they did the pilot could possible survive anyway.