![]() ![]() The final two missions before the summit were to be flown by American pilots. ![]() Using British pilots allowed Eisenhower to be able to use the U-2 aircraft to spy for American interests in the Soviet Union, while still being able to plausibly deny any affiliation if a mission became compromised.Īfter the success of the first two British pilots and because of pressure to determine the number of Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles more accurately, Eisenhower allowed the flying of two more missions before the Four Power Paris Summit, scheduled for 16 May. With the United Kingdom still reeling from the aftermath of the Suez Crisis and in no position to snub American requests, the British government was amenable to the proposal. In order to ease the burden of flying Americans into Soviet airspace the idea developed to have British pilots from the Royal Air Force fly these missions in place of the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). At a time like the Cold War, any act of aggression could spark open conflict between the two countries. President Eisenhower did not want to fly American U-2 pilots over the Soviet Union because he felt that if one of these pilots were to be shot down or captured, it could be seen as an act of aggression. The U-2 "spy-in-the-sky" was allowed to use the Pakistan Air Force section of Peshawar Airport to gain vital photo intelligence in an era before satellite observation. This enabled the monitoring of missile test sites, key infrastructure and communications. Badaber was an excellent location because of its proximity to Soviet central Asia. A facility established in Badaber ( Peshawar Air Station), 10 miles (16 km) from Peshawar, was a cover for a major communications intercept operation run by the United States National Security Agency (NSA). The U-2 flew at altitudes that could not be reached by Soviet fighter jets of the era it was believed to be beyond the reach of Soviet missiles as well. to establish a secret intelligence facility in Pakistan and for the U-2 spyplane to fly from Pakistan. Eisenhower requested permission from the Pakistani prime minister Feroze Khan Noon for the U.S.
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