“Mr. Powers, after having been subjected to a public trial in Moscow, you should feel no trepidation whatever in appearing before a group of your fellow citizens and elected representatives. I hope that you feel just as much at ease as you possibly can.
“I understand from Senator Byrd that you are a Virginia boy. What part of Virginia are you from?”
After the initial questions, Chairman Russell asked me to tell, in my own words, exactly what had happened on May 1.1 did, describing the prebreathing, the last check of the maps, my final instructions from Colonel Shelton, and the delayed takeoff—but omitting mention that this had been occasioned because we were awaiting White House approval. Then I described the flight itself, seeing the jet contrails below and realizing I had been radar-tracked, the autopilot trouble, the route—but again omitting certain things, such as how I made my radio fixes, that this would be the first time a U-2 had overflown Sverdlovsk. Although I was accompanied by Lawrence Houston, general counsel for the Central Intelligence Agency, there had been no prior briefing by the agency on what I should or should not say. Apparently by this time it was presumed I knew what was and wasn’t sensitive. All I could do was guess, hoping some of these matters had been earlier covered by McCone.
Interrupted only for occasional clarification by Russell, I then described in considerable detail the orange flash and what had followed, up to my final unsuccessful attempt to activate the destruct switches. From the faces of the senators I couldn’t tell whether or not they believed me. All I knew was that I was telling the truth.
I went on to tell of my descent and capture, the trip to Sverdlovsk, the bringing in of my maps and assorted wreckage, the questioning, my decision to admit that I was employed by the CIA, the trip to Moscow, Lubyanka Prison, and the interrogations. Realizing that I had been talking for what seemed a very long time, I paused and observed that they probably had many questions.
Russell had several. I had been vague as to time. Didn’t I have a wristwatch? No, I replied, explaining that because of the difficulty of putting it on over the pressure suit, I didn’t wear one. Had I ever experienced a jet-plane flameout? Yes, and there was no comparison.
CHAIRMAN RUSSELL: Has there ever been any other occasion when you were in an airplane and were the target of a ground-to-air missile or explosive or shell of any kind?
POWERS: Not that I know of.
CHAIRMAN RUSSELL: YOU have never seen any ground-to-air missile explode?
I replied that I hadn’t, although I had seen motion pictures of such happenings, adding, “I am sure that nothing hit this aircraft. If something did hit it, I am sure I would have felt it.”
I’d had twenty-one months to think about this question and was convinced—as were “Kelly” Johnson and others—that the plane must have been disabled by the shock waves from a near-miss. Had it been a direct hit, I doubted seriously whether I would be here testifying before the Senate.
While I was talking, one of the Senate pages handed me a white envelope. I slipped it into my pocket and promptly forgot it.
CHAIRMAN RUSSELL: I wish you would clear up the matter of the needle, Mr. Powers. Were you under any obligation to destroy yourself if you were captured?
POWERS: Oh, no. I don’t remember exactly who gave me the needle that morning, but they told me, “You can take it if you want to.” They said, “If something does happen, you may be tortured. Maybe you could conceal this on your person in some way, and if you see that you cannot withstand the torture, you might want to use it.” And that is the reason I took the needle. But I could have left it. I wasn’t told to take it.
CHAIRMAN RUSSELL: DO you have the instructions that you received that morning and that you usually received before you—
Russell stopped abruptly, realizing he had almost mentioned my other overflights.
He was referring to the three paragraphs in the CIA clearance regarding what I was to do in the event of capture. On his instructions, I read them into the record.
Russell then questioned me about the red-and-white parachute I had seen. Earlier, when this had been brought up during the debriefings, one of the agency intelligence men had told me there was evidence indicating that in their attempt to get me the Russians had also shot down one of their own planes. I wasn’t told the source of this information, only that from contacts within Russia they had learned about the funeral of a fighter pilot who presumably had piloted the aircraft.
This fit in with what I had suspected.
However, since this was an area which might be sensitive— involving, as it did, our intelligence apparatus within Russia—and because, too, my information on this was secondhand, I didn’t mention it to the committee. I did observe that the second chute was not a part of my equipment.
We came now to my treatment after capture.
CHAIRMAN RUSSELL- Did they threaten you at any time when they were examining you?
POWERS: There were no definite threats, but they didn’t let me forget that this crime was punishable by death. Anytime they would mention it was seven to fifteen years or death, and they wouldn’t let me forget that.
CHAIRMAN RUSSELL: Did you ever manifest any reluctance in answering the questions that they asked you, or did you answer them immediately?
POWERS: I refused to answer several of their questions. I showed reluctance on many.
CHAIRMAN RUSSELL: Pardon?
POWERS: I showed reluctance on many, some that I couldn’t see how they could be of any interest to them at all, but I was just reluctant in answering all questions.
I was caught in a trap, and not one of my own making. I wanted to say more, but couldn’t. I had no idea how much McCone had told the committee. I could only hope he had made clear that important information had been withheld.
CHAIRMAN RUSSELL: That was not exactly in conformity with your instructions there to cooperate with your captors, was it?
POWERS: Well, you shouldn’t go overboard with this cooperation….
CHAIRMAN RUSSELL: YOU were quoted in the press as having stated at your trial that you had made a terrible mistake in flying over Russia and apologized to the Russian people and would never do it again. Was that a misquotation, or did you make that statement at your trial?
POWERS: NO, that wasn’t a misquotation. I made this statement on the advice of my defense counsel, and also because it was easy to say I was sorry, because what I meant by saying that, and what I wanted them to think I meant, were quite different. My main sorrow was that the mission failed, and I was sorry that I was there, and it was causing a lot of adverse publicity in the States. But, of course, some of these things I couldn’t say in that statement.
Russell then questioned me at some length about my imprisonment, the food, whether I felt my cellmate was a plant, how I was treated generally.
CHAIRMAN RUSSELL: I can’t refrain from saying that the Russians were much more gentle with you than I would ever have expected they would have been to one who was taken under those circumstances.
POWERS: It surprised me also. I expected much worse treatment than I received.
CHAIRMAN RUSSELL: I rather think you got off somewhat better than a Russian spy would in this country under the same circumstances.
POWERS: I really don’t know.
CHAIRMAN RUSSELL: It might depend on where he happened to land. Undoubtedly he would have a rough time in the section of the country from which I come.