History & Social Studies

How does Eisenhower change relations with the Soviet Union? If you were Eisenhower at this time, would you have made different decisons? How or why not?

Cold War

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When the United States authorized a U-2 flight over Soviet territory, a plane was damaged by a surface-to-air missile and crashed during the Soviet celebration of May Day on May 1, 1960. Unaware that the pilot had been captured by the Soviets, the State Department and the White House issued a number of cover stories that were exposed by the Kremlin as lies. Eisenhower took responsibility for the mission and asserted that the flights were intended and necessary to protect national security. Khrushchev, of course, exploited the U-2 incident and demanded an apology from Eisenhower at a meeting in Paris, Eisenhower refused. As a result, what was intended to be a peace talk ended in an intensified Cold War.

The second part of your question calls for your opinion.