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Chapter 4
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Japanese Government, faced with growing anti-American sentiment
and complaints in the press about the presence of "spyplanes" on
Japanese territory, asked the United States to remove the U-2s. The
very next day the CIA closed Detachment C; its U-2s were disman-
tled and returned to the United States aboard C-124s.37
In the midst of the furor in Japan, on 1 July 1960, just six weeks
after the Paris Summit, Soviet fighter aircraft shot down an Air Force
RB-47 on an electronic intelligence collection mission over interna-
tional waters near the Soviet Union's Kola Peninsula. Two survivors
were captured. The Soviet Union claimed that the aircraft had vio-
lated its airspace, while the United States denounced the Soviets for
downing the plane over international waters. The acrimony exacer-
bated an already tense international atmosphere.8
One additional blow to the U-2 program came in the summer of
1960. NASA, concerned about the damage to its reputation from its
involvement in the U-2 affair and hoping to obtain international coop-
eration for its space program. decided to end its support of the cover
story that U-2s were conducting weather research under its auspices."
These developments resulted in a complete halt to all U-2 opera-
tions from overseas bases for more than six months. Pilots and air-
craft from Detachments B and C were consolidated into Detachment
G at Edwards Air Force Base, California,
1Detachment G now comprised eight pilots from
Detachment B and three pilots from Detachment C. Because Powers'
capture had compromised Project CHALICE, the Agency assigned a
new cryptonym to the U-2 effort; henceforth, it was called Project
IDEALIST.'
" OSA Chronology, p. 28 (TS Codeword)•
"Mystery of the R13-47," Newsweek. 25 July 1960, pp. 36-37; "Nikita and the RB-47,"
Time, 25 July 1960. pp. 30-31.
At a meeting of high-level CIA. NASA. and State Department officials on 31 May 1960,
NASA was willing to continue its association with U-2 flights for the time being. but the
Administrator of NASA, Dr. Keith Glennan, believed that his agency "would be well ad-
vised to disengage from the U-2 program as rapidly as possible." James A. Cunningham.
Memorandum for the Record, "Telephone Conversation with Dr. Hugh Dryden, Deputy
Director, NASA. - June 1960, DPD chrono 15 0. OSA records (S).
OSA History, chap. 12, pp. 47-49; chap. 16. p. 10 (TS Codeword).
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