Under questioning, Powers revealed his purpose to the Soviets who captured him soon after he parachuted to safety. At first, the United States refused to admit the plane’s purpose, deeming it a NASA mission gone wrong. President Eisenhower claimed there was and never had been any attempt to infiltrate Soviet airspace. They even painted a plane with NASA symbols to get the press to believe their story.
However, Khrushchev revealed that the pilot was alive and the plane still largely intact, exposing Eisenhower’s lie and thoroughly embarrassing the entire administration.
As a result, the Four Powers Paris Summit (Great Britain, France, United States, USSR), completely fell apart. Khrushchev left the talks when Eisenhower repeatedly refused to apologize for the incident. This occurrence further deteriorated relations between the United States and the Soviets.