Here is a more detailed account of the U-2 incident and how it increased Cold War tensions:
* On May 1, 1960, a U-2 spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers was shot down over the Soviet Union. The U-2 was a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft that was designed to fly at altitudes of over 70,000 feet, making it difficult for radar to detect. The Soviet Union had been aware of the U-2 flights and had been trying to intercept one for some time.
* When the U-2 was shot down, the United States initially denied that it was a spy plane. However, the Soviet Union released evidence of the U-2's mission and the pilot's confession, forcing the United States to admit that the flight had taken place. The incident caused a major embarrassment for the United States, and it damaged the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union.
* The U-2 incident led to the cancellation of a planned summit between the United States and the Soviet Union that was scheduled to take place in Paris in May 1960. The summit was supposed to be a major step in improving relations between the two countries, but it was canceled because the Soviet Union was furious about the U-2 incident.
* The U-2 incident also led to an increase in military tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union began to deploy new missiles and military aircraft, and the United States responded by increasing its own military spending. The U-2 incident brought the world closer to the brink of nuclear war.
The U-2 incident was a major turning point in the Cold War. It showed that the United States and the Soviet Union were willing to take risks in order to gain an advantage over each other, and it increased tensions between the two countries that lasted for decades.