POWERS OF U-2 DIVORCES WIFE ON DRUNK CLAIM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000400090021-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 27, 1999
• Sequence Number: 21
• Publication Date: January 17, 1963
• Content Type: NSPR

T,O,S ANGELES UNIkA JAN 17 1963
Approved For Release 1999/09/17 : CIA-RDP75-00001
Divot 6 Wife
,Vr
on Drurk C
: 1411' ui.v ~.c +
er testifying that his $wife w1l 1cteU ?f eight yedt He
was an habitual drunk and ch rged her with habitual
was ?"the only, person Who intoxication and said she fre-
evermistreated me" duringlquentity "cursed and abused"
his two years in a Russian him.
Powers testified that his
prison. wife sent him syci7 "cheap"
Mrs.' Barbara Gay Powers,Imagazines during his im-
Gary Powers, was granted a Last august. seven months',
I..Olmr h1c rp1pARp. Powers;'
Lns Angeles VMS News Ser,lcs ,~
i IILLEDGI?~VILLE, (a
Former U-2 Pilot Francis Suit Filed in August
,
excn u1. ,e avi ~... r.r
dolph Abel. I ang constantly and there
couldh't breatne or sleep. i
Fen got the Russians woi, just shook all the time."
lied that he arrested Mrs.
Powers for "drunk driving"
June 22, 1961.
Mrs. Powers, who had,
filed a countersuit charging
Powers with failing to treat
her like an average Ameri-
can housewife, testified that
she had married "for com-
panionship, love and chiI-
dren, but I didn't have the
opportunity for that."
Mrs. Powers, weeping
freely, said she didn't know
her husband had been mak-
DIVORCED-Mrs. Barbara Gay Powers and Francis
Gary Powers, the former U-2 pilot. Powers was
ill
G
a.
e,
granted a divorce by a jury, in Milledgev
UPI Telephotos
She said when Powers was,
released "he took all his bit-,
terness out on me." She de-1i
nied. being an. excessive
drinker.
"All he wants is his,
money," Mrs. Powers sobbed.
Powers, during four hours
on the witness stand, was
asked about his patriotism.
'He said. he had. never
voted and did not know who.
was the Vice President dur-
ing his imprisonment. The
confinement, however,
"made me appreciate this
country quite a bit," he said,
"but it didn't make me ap-
ing U-2 flights over Russia preciat2 `thy wife."
for the Central Intelligence) Asked -what, he thought of
Agency, and accused him of the hardships his wife en-
taking "our future into his dured to go to Moscow to be
hands without;- my knowl- with him at his trial, Pow-
edge." ers replied, "Why, I'll bet
_ __- --
K 000
eo
le here
ere
p
p
she said, "the phonelin Milledgeville who woui
tured
mobt house, was ordered to
pay '$5,000' to Mrs. Powers
and $500 to her attorney. No
provision was made` for all
mon3.
The former spy pilot
showed, no: emotion -at the
verdC ; 1Powers was not
in tl e ctolurtroom.
Powers, during the trial
whit peened Tuesday, testi-
fied tl}at',1ie went,.as' long as
45 days without a; letter from
his;>ii`e wife in prison.
ei imprisonment started
M yy, 1960affer Powers'
high-flying U-2 was downed
ovgr Russia. Rg, was sen-
tenced to 10 years "depriva-
tion pf liberty" for espio-
nage, but was freed 20
months later in a dramatic
rvwci0.~, -- - 11 heed test $ilot and resident A Milledgeville police o#-
of a Burbank (Cal.) apart- ficer, Jimmy Niblett, test!
hour.
Must Pay $5,500
countered that imprison-,
ment lzad left Powers "void pequest eotherhareadingamat
of all feeling" except bitter= ter.
ness toward her. He said the scarcity of lets
A jury of 12 married men.,,_, frn.r, hi, if,.. became' a
Approved For Release 1999/09/17 : CIA-RDP75-00001R000400090021-2