The Commonwealth of Virginia played a central role in United States involvement during the Cold War. With doomsday planning operations underway for World War III, the location of the Pentagon, CIA, and other federal agencies established Northern Virginia as an epicenter of decision-making. As Virginia military bases readied for a potential surprise attack by the Soviet Union, local research facilities played a paramount role in the Space Race. In 1960, the Soviet Union’s shoot-down of U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers, a Virginia native, created a superpower crisis of epic proportions. Cold War historians Francis Gary Powers, Jr., and Christopher Sturdevant tell these and other tales of espionage, heroism and betrayal in their book, Cold War Virginia.

Francis Gary Powers, Jr., is the founder and chairman emeritus of the Cold War Museum. As chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Cold War Theme Study, he worked with the National Park Service and leading Cold War experts to identify historic Cold War sites for commemoration, interpretation and preservation. He served as a consultant to Steven Spielberg’s Cold War thriller, Bridge of Spies. His latest book (with Christopher Sturdevant) is Cold War Virginia.