6. The United States developed an aircraft to overfly Soviet territory in the mid-1950s
Overflight of a peaceful nation without permission is a recognized violation of international law. During the Cold War, the United States developed aircraft designed for that purpose, flying at an altitude which would allow it to remain undetected. Development of the U-2 began in 1953, under the auspices of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the United States Air Force (USAF). Development and testing of the remarkable airplane cost at least three lives of test pilots. President Eisenhower expressed concerns over operating the U-2 over the Soviet Union. CIA officers created a cover story for the existence of the airplane, claiming it was primarily for weather observation rather than surveillance. They also assured the President the Soviets could not detect, and thus not track, the U-2 in flight. During testing in the United States, the U-2 had been largely invisible to American radar.
Initial flights of the U-2 in Europe originated from Lakenheath, a Royal Air Force base in the UK. After the British government demurred, the U-2 project moved to Wiesbaden, West Germany. British pilots accompanied them. In June, 1956, U-2 flights began over Eastern Bloc nations, without penetrating Soviet airspace. In July, U-2 flights over Soviet territory began, with the airplane flying over Soviet submarine bases and shipyards, and airfields where bomber forces were stationed. The Soviets easily tracked the missions. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev protested via his Ambassador to Washington. The United States simply denied the flights that took place. Soviet fighter aircraft scrambled to attempt to shoot down the spy flights, but were unable to do so. Eisenhower continued to deny to the world the United States was overflying the Soviet Union. For some time, most of the free world believed him.
