Richard S. Heyser
Encyclopedia
Richard S. Heyser was a pilot in the United States Air Force
whose photographs taken in a Lockheed U-2
revealed Soviet medium-range ballistic missile
s in Cuba
, precipitating the Cuban missile crisis
in 1962.
Lt. Col. Richard Stephen "Steve" Heyser, a native of Apalachicola, Florida
, joined the United States Army Air Force in 1944, after watching World War II pilots training at nearby Tyndall Field. His father was a U.S. Coast Guard auxiliary pilot. Following the war, Heyser graduated from what would become Florida State University
. He began pilot training in 1952. He flew combat missions during the Korean War
and two combat deployments during the Vietnam War
. In the late 1950s into the 1960s, he flew U-2s with the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, first qualifying on the U-2 on 19 February 1957, the 50th pilot to check-out on the spy plane. He retired in 1974 after 30 years of service and returned to Apalachicola. He died at a nursing home in Port St. Joe, Florida
, near his home in Apalachicola, on 6 October 2008 at age 81. He had suffered a series of strokes in recent years. He was survived by his wife of fifty-four years, Jacquelyn; three sons; eight grandchildren; and a sister.
"He met the sun over the Gulf of Mexico
, and flew over the Yucatan Channel
before turning north to penetrate denied territory. The weather was roughly as forecast: 25% cloud cover. He was flying the maximum altitude profile, and by this time the U-2F had reached 72,500 feet. There was no contrail. Heyser switched on the camera and did his stuff. He was over the island for less than seven minutes, but his potential exposure to the two SAM
sites was over 12 minutes. Heyser had been briefed to scan the driftsight for Cuban fighters or, worse still. an SA-2 heading his way. If so, he was briefed to turn sharply towards it, and then away from it, in an S-pattern that would hopefully break the missile radar's lock. But there was no opposition from Cuba's air defenses. Heyser coasted-out and headed for McCoy AFB. He landed there at 0920 EST after exactly seven hours in the air."
The film was immediately flown to Washington, D.C.
to the Naval Photographic Intelligence Center for processing, and the first images trucked under armed guard to the Steuart Building on 6th Street, N.W., where analysts at NPIC identified SS-4 missile transporters by noon. This, and other evidence on the films, set in motion the Cuban Missile Crisis
. On 22 October, President John F. Kennedy
announced that Col. Heyser’s photographs proved the Soviet Union was building secret sites for nuclear missiles only 90 miles from Key West
. The six-day crisis ended after Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev ordered the missiles withdrawn from Cuba.
"Col. Heyser, who was 35 when he made five flights over Cuba during a nine day period, was among 11 U-2 pilots who took reconnaissance photographs of the missile sites. Two were killed: one shot down over Cuba, the other when his plane crashed off Key West. It is not known to this day exactly how many other Navy and Air Force reconnaissance flights took place during the crisis, all at very low levels and very high speeds. CIA U-2 pilots already had shot photographs of Soviet anti-aircraft missile launchers in Cuba. The Air Force pilots were assigned to look for missiles that could strike the United States.
"Col. Heyser said, in a 2005 interview [with the Associated Press
], that nobody was more relieved than he that the crisis ended peacefully. He said he had no desire to go down in history as the man who started World War III." "I kind of felt like I was going to be looked at as the one who started the whole thing," Col. Heyser said. "I wasn't anxious to have that reputation."
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
whose photographs taken in a Lockheed U-2
Lockheed U-2
The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "Dragon Lady", is a single-engine, very high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency . It provides day and night, very high-altitude , all-weather intelligence gathering...
revealed Soviet medium-range ballistic missile
Medium-range ballistic missile
A medium-range ballistic missile , is a type of ballistic missile with medium range, this last classification depending on the standards of certain organizations. Within the U.S. Department of Defense, a medium range missile is defined by having a maximum range of between 1,000 and 3,000 km1...
s in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, precipitating the Cuban missile crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
in 1962.
Lt. Col. Richard Stephen "Steve" Heyser, a native of Apalachicola, Florida
Apalachicola, Florida
Apalachicola is a city in Franklin County, Florida, on US 98 about southwest of Tallahassee. The population was 2,334 at the 2000 census. The 2005 census estimated the city's population at 2,340...
, joined the United States Army Air Force in 1944, after watching World War II pilots training at nearby Tyndall Field. His father was a U.S. Coast Guard auxiliary pilot. Following the war, Heyser graduated from what would become Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
. He began pilot training in 1952. He flew combat missions during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and two combat deployments during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. In the late 1950s into the 1960s, he flew U-2s with the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, first qualifying on the U-2 on 19 February 1957, the 50th pilot to check-out on the spy plane. He retired in 1974 after 30 years of service and returned to Apalachicola. He died at a nursing home in Port St. Joe, Florida
Port St. Joe, Florida
Port St. Joe is a city located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 98 and State Road 71 in Gulf County, Florida, United States. As of 2007, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 3,579. The population was 3,644 as of the 2000 census. Port St. Joe became the county seat of Gulf County...
, near his home in Apalachicola, on 6 October 2008 at age 81. He had suffered a series of strokes in recent years. He was survived by his wife of fifty-four years, Jacquelyn; three sons; eight grandchildren; and a sister.
Cuban Missile Crisis
Early Sunday morning, 14 October 1962, Major Heyser climbed into CIA U-2F, Article 342, (the second U-2, modified for in-flight refueling), hastily repainted as 'USAF 66675', at Edwards AFB, California, where he had just undergone qualification on the type, and departed on a Cuban overflight, Mission 3101, dubbed Brass Knob."He met the sun over the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, and flew over the Yucatan Channel
Yucatán Channel
The Yucatán Channel is a strait between Mexico and Cuba. It connects the Yucatán Basin of the Caribbean Sea with the Gulf of Mexico. The strait is across between Cape Catoche in Mexico and Cape San Antonio, Cuba and reaches a maximum depth of .-References:...
before turning north to penetrate denied territory. The weather was roughly as forecast: 25% cloud cover. He was flying the maximum altitude profile, and by this time the U-2F had reached 72,500 feet. There was no contrail. Heyser switched on the camera and did his stuff. He was over the island for less than seven minutes, but his potential exposure to the two SAM
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
sites was over 12 minutes. Heyser had been briefed to scan the driftsight for Cuban fighters or, worse still. an SA-2 heading his way. If so, he was briefed to turn sharply towards it, and then away from it, in an S-pattern that would hopefully break the missile radar's lock. But there was no opposition from Cuba's air defenses. Heyser coasted-out and headed for McCoy AFB. He landed there at 0920 EST after exactly seven hours in the air."
The film was immediately flown to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to the Naval Photographic Intelligence Center for processing, and the first images trucked under armed guard to the Steuart Building on 6th Street, N.W., where analysts at NPIC identified SS-4 missile transporters by noon. This, and other evidence on the films, set in motion the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
. On 22 October, President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
announced that Col. Heyser’s photographs proved the Soviet Union was building secret sites for nuclear missiles only 90 miles from Key West
Key West
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....
. The six-day crisis ended after Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev ordered the missiles withdrawn from Cuba.
"Col. Heyser, who was 35 when he made five flights over Cuba during a nine day period, was among 11 U-2 pilots who took reconnaissance photographs of the missile sites. Two were killed: one shot down over Cuba, the other when his plane crashed off Key West. It is not known to this day exactly how many other Navy and Air Force reconnaissance flights took place during the crisis, all at very low levels and very high speeds. CIA U-2 pilots already had shot photographs of Soviet anti-aircraft missile launchers in Cuba. The Air Force pilots were assigned to look for missiles that could strike the United States.
"Col. Heyser said, in a 2005 interview [with the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
], that nobody was more relieved than he that the crisis ended peacefully. He said he had no desire to go down in history as the man who started World War III." "I kind of felt like I was going to be looked at as the one who started the whole thing," Col. Heyser said. "I wasn't anxious to have that reputation."