Customer Reviews

Mayday: The U-2 Affair : The Untold Story of the Greatest Us-USSR Spy Scandal

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Michael Beschloss is one of the best historians writing today. Known best for his work profiling American presidents, this book focuses on Ike's last years framed by the ongoing, growing military rivalry between the Cold War superpowers. Packed with detail, it is loaded with more information and behind-the-scenes nuggets than I ever kne existed regarding the famous U-2 incident. Knowing some of the people in the program, I certainly learned more about the times discussed and some of the issues involved from the book than from them. The extreme secrecy involved still persists among them today; the book is the best source I have to learn what was happening in those tense days. Mayday is a very well-written book, and has a lot of useful infomration. It would be best enjoyed by Cold War enthusiasts and fans of the period, but its writing and style make it easy to read and comprehend for all.

Michael Beschloss, a historian, draws on the private papers of the individuals involved to give us a unique peak into the U-2 Crisis. When Powers was shot down over Russia on Mayday, Russia's most important National Holiday. It shows how the CIA considered it important to have an aircraft in Russian airspace for reconnaissance.

We are given a look into the web of deceit that has been the U-2 incident. He starts with Gary Powers and how he became a U-2 pilot. The details of the fatal flight itself are shared with the reader. The reactions of the two leaders involved, Eisenhower committed to this reconnaissance and Khruschev who was fighting to stay in power. And how this incident was to affect the opportunity for detente between the USA and Russia. We even read about Charles de Gaulle's efforts in trying to save the Paris Summit Meeting.