The U-2 pilot whose six-minute, 928-photo run over Cuba on 14 October 1962 revealed Soviet missiles and ignited the Cuban Missile Crisis
"I kind of felt like I was going to be looked at as the one who started the whole thing. I wasn't anxious to have that reputation.", Associated Press interview, 2005
A native of Apalachicola, Florida, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces at 17 and flew combat missions in both the Korean War and two deployments to Vietnam. On the morning of 14 October 1962, his six-minute U-2 flight over western Cuba produced 928 photographs; analysts identified Soviet SS-4 medium-range ballistic missiles by noon, and the images landed on President Kennedy's desk, triggering the thirteen-day nuclear standoff.
Activities and affiliations
Career Timeline
- 1944Enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces
- 1952Began USAF pilot training; combat missions in the Korean War
- 1957Qualified on the U-2, the 50th pilot checked out on the aircraft
- 1957–1962U-2 pilot, 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing
- 1962.10.14Flew Mission 3101 over Cuba, photographing Soviet missile sites
- 1960sTwo combat deployments to Vietnam
- 1974Retired as lieutenant colonel after 30 years of service
Related historical events
- 1950–1953The Korean WarU.S. Air Force combat pilotHe flew combat missions in the Korean War.
- 1962The Cuban Missile CrisisU-2 pilot who first photographed the missilesOn October 14, 1962, Richard Heyser piloted a U-2 reconnaissance plane that took 928 photographs first revealing Soviet missiles at San Cristóbal, Cuba.
The first verified photographs of missile sites in Cuba
On 14 October 1962, a U-2 piloted by U.S. Air Force Major Richard D. Heyser flew a reconnaissance mission over western Cuba from south to north. The 928 photographs taken during the six-minute flight provided the first verified evidence that Soviet offensive missile sites existed in Cuba. Analysis at the National Photographic Intelligence Center identified three medium-range ballistic missile sites under development near San Cristobal, in Pinar del Rio province. Photo analysts counted eight large missile transporters and four erector launchers tentatively assessed to be in firing positions. The episode shows how Heyser’s reconnaissance mission and the subsequent image analysis contributed to documenting the missile deployment. The source distinguishes the mission and its analytical findings rather than attributing the later political response or course of the crisis to Heyser personally.