Snowden Documents Reveal Scope of Secrets Exposed to China in 2001 Spy Plane Incident

Summary: When China boldly seized a U.S. underwater drone in the South China Sea last December and initially refused to give it back, the incidentignited a weeklong political standoffand conjured memories of a similar event more than15 years ago. In April 2001, just months before the 9/11 attacks gripped the nation, a U.S. Navy spy plane flying a routine reconnaissance mission over the South China Sea was struck by a People’s Liberation Army fighter jet that veered aggressively close.