From: mvp@web1.calweb.com   
      
   In article ,   
   0something0   wrote:   
   >On Monday, September 10, 2018 at 8:20:28 PM UTC-4, Wolffan wrote:   
   >> I remember a Campbell editorial where he claimed that the Powers plane   
   >> was higher than Soviet missiles could reach, and that anyone shot by a   
   >> missile at that altitude would be dead dead dead.   
   >>   
   >> So his theory was that Powers had engine trouble and that the American   
   >> gov't let the Soviets claim a shoot-down for reasons of their own.   
   >   
   >That was a U2, which while flying high, was lacking in speed. I'm talking   
   >hypersonic speeds AND stratosphere here.   
      
   Yeah, that's the problem I had with Campbell's assertion.   
      
   However, scepticism about the Soviets being able to shoot down   
   a U2 seems to have gone further than that.  On Jerry Pournelle's   
   "Chaos Manor" page, he said:   
      
   "Gary Powers died believing he was shot down, but Possony and I   
   concluded long ago that he was downed by a bomb planted in his   
   U2 in Pakistan. The Soviets had no surface to air missile   
   capable of reaching that altitude anywhere near the site of the   
   supposed interception, and it is doubtful that they had anything   
   capable of that at all."   
      
   (https://www.jerrypournelle.com/chaosmanor/page/130/?p10267)   
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