In which realm was this pilot's plane shot down whose flight had been approved by Thomas S. Gates Jr.?
Thomas S. Gates Jr.:  He also authorized U-2 reconnaissance flights, including the flight of Francis Gary Powers. Francis Gary Powers: Francis Gary Powers (August 17, 1929 – August 1, 1977) – often referred to as simply Gary Powers – was an American pilot whose Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) U-2 spy plane was shot down while flying a reconnaissance mission in Soviet Union airspace, causing the 1960 U-2 incident.
Soviet Union airspace