Overview
Few aviation subjects have been shrouded in more secrecy or been more controversial than Cold War aerial reconnaissance. Former reconnaissance pilot Robert S. Hopkins, III, offers new insights into strategic intelligence flights during the early years of the cold war. Primarily undertaken by RB-50s and RB-47s of the Strategic Air Command and by CIA U-2s, other Western nations such as Britain, Sweden, and Taiwan were equally committed to gathering intelligence about the Soviet Union and its allies, and conducted their own peripheral and overflight missions. Hopkins challenges longstanding beliefs that the flights served to prevent war, curtailed needless defense spending, and were undertaken by rogue generals bent on starting World War III. For the first time he shows the Soviet perspective on the flights, and makes a compelling case that reconnaissance flights did not have a sustained adverse effect on Soviet relations with the West. Using newly-declassified materials, interviews with crews and policy makers, and his own experience flying strategic reconnaissance missions, Hopkins links the daily operations of courageous fliers with decisions by presidents and prime ministers that decided the outcome of the Cold War.
Full Product Details
Author: Robert Hopkins III (Author)
Publisher: Hikoki Publications
Imprint: Hikoki Publications
Dimensions:
Width: 21.00cm
, Height: 1.30cm
, Length: 29.70cm
Weight: 0.624kg
ISBN: 9781902109503
ISBN 10: 1902109503
Pages: 200
Publication Date: 15 June 2016
Audience:
General/trade
,
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
General
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
-Hopkins expertly and objectively forces a complete reappraisal of the role of these flights.---Paul Crickmore-Author SR-71: The Secret Missions Exposed- (05/20/2016)
Hopkins expertly and objectively forces a complete reappraisal of the role of these flights. --Paul Crickmore Author SR-71: The Secret Missions Exposed (05/20/2016)
""Hopkins expertly and objectively forces a complete reappraisal of the role of these flights.""--Paul Crickmore ""Author SR-71: The Secret Missions Exposed"" (5/20/2016 12:00:00 AM) ""Robert Hopkins has written a detailed and fascinating account of a key element of Cold War intelligence history.""--Richelson Jeffrey ""Author The Wizards of Langley"" (6/1/2016 12:00:00 AM) ""This ground breaking work raises significant questions about the usefulness of intelligence gathered by overflights and their impact on US-Soviet relations...""--David Snead ""Profession of History, Liberty University"" (5/15/2016 12:00:00 AM)
"""Hopkins expertly and objectively forces a complete reappraisal of the role of these flights.""--Paul Crickmore ""Author SR-71: The Secret Missions Exposed"" (5/20/2016 12:00:00 AM) ""Robert Hopkins has written a detailed and fascinating account of a key element of Cold War intelligence history.""--Richelson Jeffrey ""Author The Wizards of Langley"" (6/1/2016 12:00:00 AM) ""This ground breaking work raises significant questions about the usefulness of intelligence gathered by overflights and their impact on US-Soviet relations...""--David Snead ""Profession of History, Liberty University"" (5/15/2016 12:00:00 AM)"
Author Information
Robert S. Hopkins, III, is a second generation US Air Force pilot flying 17 different variants of KC-, EC- and RC-135 during his Air Force career while his father flew B-47Es at Plattsburgh AFB, NY. In addition to multiple publications and appearances in aviation programs on the History Channel, the Smithsonian Channel, and the BBC, Hopkins is the author of Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker: More than a Tanker and Spyflights and Overflights: US Strategic Aerial Reconnaissance. He earned a PhD in US and Soviet History from the University of Virginia.
