Rare Russian word list written by Francis Gary Powers during his time at Vladimir Central Prison. The note contains a hand written list of singular, masculine and plural Russian nouns. Written in pencil on cream colored paper, it measures 5.5 x 7.5".

On Aug. 17, 1960, his 31st birthday, Francis Gary Powers went on trial in Moscow. Only three months after being shot down in his U-2 aircraft, Powers was charged by the Soviets with espionage and sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment, including seven years hard labor. At the time, Powers did not speak Russian and had no contacts in the country.

Powers began learning Russian during his time in prison. This list is a historical account of his Russian education. At a time when the world was on the brink of chaos, any connection to Russia was suspect. Powers learning the enemy language was seen as problematic back on US shoes where he was labeled a defector. Years later the CIA published a report on Francis Gary Powers's conduct, saying he acted honorably throughout his service - and entirely in accordance with the instructions given to him.

Francis Gary Powers was a distinguished pilot for the CIA's U-2 program during the height of the Cold War. Powers was arrested after his spy plane was shot down while flying a high-risk reconnaissance mission over Soviet airspace. To learn more about Powers' astounding story of survival, please visit www.guernseys.com

These items provided directly by Mr. Powers' son, expert public speaker on the U-2 Incident and Cold War History, Francis Gary Powers Jr.

Good condition.