On Monday October 10, we had the visit of Gary Powers junior, whose father was the pilot of the U2 spyplane that was shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960, who was captured and subsequently exchanged for a Soviet spy who had been apprehended in the U.S. Gary made a great presentation about the event, which would also define his own life, the historical context including some myth busting, showed video and photo material. The event has been captured both in various books and in the recent movie Bridge of Spies (the title referring to the exchange that took place over the famous Glienicker Bridge between Berlin and Potsdam). Much more importantly, Gary has made it his life’s mission to educate the public, and especially the “young public”, all over the world about the Cold War, the historical context, the circumstances that led to it and how it came to sustain that delicate but dangerous balance for so long. He has worked with both private and public, educational and commercial institutions, museums etc. in the Americas and Europe. He is now on a trip through Europe, with official invitations to Prague, Berlin and Warsaw.Following his presentation, lively discussions evolved to which many participants contributed their observations and personal memories of the time of the Cold War, obviously from both sides of the former Iron Curton. How important it is to keep the memories of that period alive and not leave it to the history books!
.jpg)
