‘Spy Pilot’ presentation by author Francis Gary Powers Jr.

Step into a gripping real-life story of Cold War espionage by attending “Spy Pilot,” a presentation by Francis Gary Powers Jr. at the 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse State Historic Site in Jamestown on Wednesday, July 30, at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Powers will share insights from his book, “Letters from a Soviet Prison: The Personal Journal and Correspondence of CIA U-2 Pilot Francis Gary Powers,” featuring writings and letters of his father, Francis Gary Powers.

In 1960, the elder Powers was shot down while piloting a high-altitude U-2 reconnaissance plane over the Soviet Union for the Central Intelligence Agency. Captured and imprisoned for nearly two years, Powers was exchanged for Soviet spy Rudolf Abel in a tense, high-profile swap. The incident brought secret U.S. surveillance efforts into public view and intensified Cold War tensions.

The presentation will explore the personal side of this international event through original letters, journal entries, and photographs, offering rare insight into the emotional toll of espionage, captivity, and diplomacy.

For more information, contact Site Supervisor Kyle Nelson, [email protected] or 701.328.1883. Located at 504 Third Ave. SE, Jamestown, the Stutsman County Courthouse State Historic Site is managed by the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Visit daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Labor Day. Find more programs sponsored by the State Historical Society at history.nd.gov/events.