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Vilyam Genrikhovich Fisher

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All countries have spies. Sometimes the opposing country may capture them. This may lead to an exchange of two hostages. The most famous spy exchange was the first national power spy exchange between Vilyam Genrikhovich Fisher and Francis Gary Powers. Vilyam Genrikhovich Fisher (Rudolf Abel) was born on July 11, 1903, in Benwell, United Kingdom. Fisher became interested in radio operation after high school. Fisher trained as a radio operator he later served in the Red Army. Fisher became head of a school that specialized in training radio operators destined for duty as a spy. Fisher took part in Operation Scherhorn which was one of the most successful radio deceptions of the war. Fisher was rewarded with the most prestigious posting …show more content…

At the age of 18, he began flying. By the time he was 31 years old, he had been incorporated in the American U-2 “Dragon Lady” spy plane operation. The U-2 operation was an effect of the growing concern of Russian nuclear capability. On May 1, 1960, during a flyby mission over Soviet Airspace he was shot down. 8 soviet missiles were fired. The first hit the U-2 on the left wing, immediately crippling the plane. All U-2 planes are built with a fail-safe self-destruct so that no other country would be able to recreate the one of a kind high-flying spy plane. Due to the planes injury, Powers had to eject and was unable to activate the fail safe. He was immediately detained and interrogated. He was interrogated by Russian prosecutor Roman Rudenko. His interrogation ended on June 30, 19 and he was convicted of espionage. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison and 7 years of hard labor to atone for his crimes. He was admitted and held at Vladimir Central Prison 150 miles east of Moscow, Russia on September 9, 1960. He was held in a cell with a Latvian political prisoner, Zigurd Kruminish. He was not tortured but he was forcefully sleep deprived and received death threats constantly. During his detainment, Powers was able to keep a secret diary that he hid in a rug the he had woven. In the diary, Powers kept he mentioned that he was tempted to use the suicide device ( a poison lace pin)

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