United States
On February 10, 1962, U.S. spy plane pilot Francis Gary Powers was exchanged with Soviet spy Rudolf Abel on the Glienicke Bridge between East and West Germany. Powers had been shot down in 1960 during a surveillance mission; Abel was imprisoned in the U.S. for espionage. The high-profile exchange became emblematic of Cold War tensions and negotiation. It also inspired films and public interest in spycraft, diplomacy, and national security. The swap offered symbolic relief in a time of intense superpower rivalry.
