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During overflights of the Soviet Union, U-2 pilots for those flights were offered the option of carrying a suicide kit<\/i><\/a> on each mission. (Carrying the kit at all, along with its use if captured, were at the pilot’s option.) By the time Powers\u2019 U-2 was shot down, this kit used a concealed needle and a purified shellfish toxin (saxitoxin). <\/p>\n However, US overflights of the Soviet Union started in 1956 – nearly 4 years prior to Powers being shot down on May Day 1960. During the earlier years of the program the suicide kit consisted of what was referred to as an \u201cL-pill\u201d. This was a small glass capsule filled with a potassium cyanide solution. Biting down on the pill broke the glass; death due to cyanide poisoning would occur quite shortly afterwards. <\/p>\n That earlier L-pill reportedly very nearly led to another, earlier U-2 incident over the Soviet Union.<\/p>\n . . . <\/b><\/p>\n Only one Cold War U-2 flight ever overflew Moscow. That flight occurred on 10 July 1956; it was piloted by Carmine Vito. It wasn’t his only overflight of the Soviet Union.<\/p>\n Though U-2 pilots were warned that opening their pressure suit’s faceplate while at high altitude was dangerous, many did so anyway – generally in order to eat something small or get a piece of chewing gum during a mission. Vito was one of those who did. <\/p>\n Vito was reportedly fond of eating lemon drops during U-2 missions. Seems his throat got dry while at altitude, particularly during Soviet overflights. (Ya think!? Hell, during an overflight mission my butt cheeks would have been clenched tight enough to suck half the damn seat cushion up my . . . well, let\u2019s just say I\u2019d have been damned nervous too. [smile]) He found that lemon drops helped, so Vito always put a supply in one of his flight suit pockets.<\/p>\n This turned out to be a problem on 10 December 1956. On that date, Vito made another overflight of the Soviet Union. And the following reportedly happened (emphasis added):<\/p>\n About midway through the mission Vito opened his faceplate and popped into his mouth what he thought was another lemon drop. Closing the faceplate, he began sucking on the object and thought it strange that it had no flavor and was much smoother than the previous lemon drops. Although tempted to bite down, he decided instead to reopen his faceplate and see what it was. Spitting the object into his hand, he saw that he had been sucking on the L-pill with its lethal contents of potassium cyanide<\/i><\/b>. Just a thin layer of glass had stood between him and near-instant death. Somewhat shaken, Vito successfully continued the mission and returned safely to base. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n