1. If Francis Gary Powers had committed suicide, he would not have been interrogated by the KGB and convicted of espionage. The United States could have possibly gotten off the hook by claiming that the plane was a weather plane or that the pilot could have lost consciousness and veered off course. Since Powers would not be alive to testify, the US government could practically say whatever they wanted in proving that they were "innocent." Having Powers dead also saves the US the trouble of getting him back and allows for the reputation of the US to have remained more intact. Also, if Powers had committed suicide, the plane's camera and photo records could have been destroyed also, leaving no trace of evidence that the plane was a spy plane. It's good that Powers did not commit suicide. Even if he had committed suicide, the plane would have probably been discovered by the Soviets to be a spy plane as the equipment on the plane, as well as the general shape of the plane would have given away the plane as a U-2 aircraft. In addition, if Powers had committed suicide, the scene of the crash would have looked more suspicious, as the Soviets could have probed Powers' body and discovered that he intentionally committed suicide. On a more personal level, it's good that Powers remained alive as he was able to return home to his family. 2. I would have advised the United States to admit that they sent the spy plane to take pictures of Soviet military installations and to publicly apologize for the incident. In the midst of the Cold War, nuclear warfare, at all costs, should be prevented. Lying about the incident or refusing to apologize (like they did) would only lead to an escalation of tensions that was starting to cool down. In acquiring Powers, I would have advised the government to either pay a reasonable price to the Soviet government or commence a prisoner trade. 3. Given that the United States had been flying secret spy missions over S