1960: Soviet Union reveals that USA spy plane was shot down over Soviet territory

DATE: May 1960

DESCRIPTION: This event highlights that what was suspected to be a US spy plane had been shot down in Soviet territory, revealing that the US has always been watching the Soviet’s actions. At first the US denied the plane’s purpose and mission, but after the Soviet government produced its’ intact remains and it’s surviving pilot, they were forced to admit that it was truly spying on the Soviets. This event was considered a great embarrassment for the United States and deteriorated relations with the Soviet Union.

BLAME: The event was the fault of the Soviet Union, as they were the one who shot down the spy plane in the first place, which was one of the main points during this event. However, America also has some blame in this happening because they were the ones that were responsible for ordering and authorizing the spy plane’s flight over the Soviet Union.

TENSION INCREASE: The Soviets revealing the spy plane to the Americans that was shot down in their territory was sort of showing off to them – in a way, while telling them the facts they also seemed to be mocking them in the process. This made tensions rise because the Americans were angered and embarrassed by this event, and were basically being mocked by the Soviets. Also, as mentioned earlier, relations between the two countries also deteriorated shortly after this happened On top of that, any unauthorized airplane entering another country’s airspace can be considered an act of war, which probably added more fuel to the flames. +1.5

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