Director Steven Spielberg a history enthusiast, has a vast knowledge of the Cold War that dates back to childhood when his father told stories of the deep-seated feelings of animosity and distrust that existed between the U.S. and Soviet Union…
“My father had gone to Russia during the Cold War on a foreign exchange right after Francis Gary Powers was shot down,” remembers Spielberg. “My dad and three other associates from General Electric stood in line because they were putting Powers’ fl ight suit, helmet and the remains of the U-2 on display for everybody in Russia to see what America had done. He was about an hour away from the front of the line when a couple of Russian military officials approached my dad and asked for their passports, saw they were Americans and got them to the head of the line, not to convenience them, because after they got to the head of the line this Russian pointed to the U-2 and then pointed to my dad and his friends and said, ‘Look what your country is doing to us,’ which he repeated angrily several times before handing back their passports.”
“I never forgot that story,” he says, “and because of that I never forgot what happened to Francis Gary Powers.”
DreamWorks Pictures’ BRIDGE OF SPIES opens in theaters everywhere, this Friday, October 16th!
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Dianna Ranere