“Several lieutenants assigned to my flight were talented pilots, but my assistant flight commander, 1st Lt Buster E. Edens (called ‘Snede,’ Edens spelled backwards), was a superb fighter pilot.”

Lloyd R. ‘Dick’ Leavitt
Lieutenant General, USAF, Retired

April 26, 2025 — Eugene ‘Buster’ Edens was one of the original U-2 pilots. By 1965, Edens was a highly experienced pilot, accumulating over 1,000 flight hours in U-2 aircraft. He was killed on April 26,1965, when his U-2 spiraled to the ground near Edwards Air Force Base in California. The cause of the crash is unknown. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today

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On April 26, 1965, Edens was practicing simulated aircraft carrier landings in a U-2. During one approach, he encountered an issue with a wing, applied power, and climbed.

However, for unknown reasons, he lost control at around 3,000 feet, and the U-2 spiraled toward the ground.

Although turbulence has been suggested as a possible cause, it is known that another pilot experienced a similar issue with the left wing of the same aircraft earlier that morning.

Buster ejected at an altitude of 400 feet, but it was not high enough for his parachute to fully deploy, and he was killed upon impact.

According to the official investigation:

“The aircraft entered a low altitude wing low stall while the pilot was flight checking aileron control. This resulted in a spin which he was unable to recover. Possible contributing factors are: unknown failure of an aircraft system component or turbulence.”

Memorial Wall and Book of Honor

Edens is buried at Hillcrest Burial Park in Waxahachie, Ellis County, Texas. The Agency honored him as one of the original 31 stars carved into the Memorial Wall in July 1974. His name was the first of three listed in the Book of Honor for the year 1965

“Those who cannot be trusted in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones.”

Is the CIA addicted to lying?

Writing about the CIA is never simple. But writing about the CIA Memorial Wall is nearly Mission Impossible. The agency is clearly addicted to lying.

They lie about small things, they lie about big things. They lie about everything. They lie to others, and worse, they lie to themselves.

Consider the following stories about an accident that almost cost Edens’ life in 1963.

According to the CIA:

“Buster had dodged death once before when he crash-landed a U-2 at Edwards. In that earlier incident, his plane, while on final approach, stalled 50 feet short of the dry-lakebed runway and slammed into the ground. It caught fire, but another pilot happened to be nearby and was able to pull a semiconscious Buster out of the aircraft just before it blew up.”

But here is the real story as recalled by a man who was there:

“Awaiting the arrival of U-2 pilot Buster Eugene Edens in 1963, Bill Smith and an operations officer sat in a recovery vehicle while a firetruck was on standby. Edens, however, fell short of the runway and landed the spy plane too fast, skipping the plane along the runway. The plane caught fire, but the firetruck engine stalled and couldn’t make it to the plane. Smith and the other officer raced to Edens, pulling the pilot out moments before the U-2 exploded.”

Lying about the lives of those honored by a star on the Memorial Wall is certainly not honoring their memory.

Val Merriman Folkins (STAR 12, John Merriman’s widow) is entirely correct when she states:

“The CIA people don’t see their heroes as heroes. They throw people away. And I think it would be great if the families were actually told the truth.”

In the end, honoring the true stories of those who serve requires more than just recognition; it requires truth. When the CIA distorts the past, it not only disrespects the memory of its heroes but undermines the very trust that is essential to its mission.

Without truth, even the most heroic actions are reduced to mere shadows, and the lives of those who gave everything are left in the dark.

REFERENCES

“Heroes — Eugene ‘Buster’ Edens.” CIA Website. “Aircraft Accident N804X.” CIA Website.

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CIA Memorial Wall — STAR 15 : Eugene `Buster’ Edens (Edwards Air Force Base, California – April 26, 1965)

“What’s the cadet motto at West Point? You will not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do. I was the CIA director. We lied, we cheated, we stole. It’s – it was like – we had entire training courses. It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment.”

CIA Director Mike Pompeo
Texas A&M University
(April 15, 2019)