I visited the International Spy Museum in Washington D.C. last week. The museum is a must for students of history in general and students of espionage in particular.
There was a time when spying was a dirty little secret that governments did not talk about or acknowledge. Today we generally acknowledge the need for intelligence and respect the intelligence professional.
Spy stories in novels, films and TV have both helped and hurt the intelligence profession. Most of the fictional depictions of intelligence officers, agents, spies and special operators are poorly done and bare little resemblance to reality.
While some have portrayed the spy unfavorably, most thrillers portray the spy as a romantic hero or heroine. In my view, spy thrillers have helped to create a positive public interest in intelligence matters.
The International Spy Museum, called SPY for short, is the only public museum in the United States dedicated to the tradecraft, history and contemporary role of espionage.
SPY, located at 800 F Street, NW, in the historic Penn Quarter, presents artifacts, historic photographs, interactive displays, film and video to tell the story of espionage in history.
During my visit I saw that the many young students there found the museum interesting and inspiring. As I recall from my own youth, museums tend to be awfully boring places for young people, but SPY caught their attention and interest.
SPY offers a gallery called The Secret History of History,which chronicles spying throughout history – from biblical times to the early 20th Century – and visitors can learn about well-known historical figures who served as spymasters, such as George Washington and the author of Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe.
In other gallery called Spies Among Us, visitors learn about the amazing and heroic stories of World War II espionage. One highlight was the exhibit on celebrity spies during the war, such as film director John Ford, chef Julia Child and actress Marlene Dietrich.
Another gallery that particularly interested me, as I was a minor participant in the latter part of the Cold War, was The War of the Spies. This gallery examines the Cold War, using a mock post-World War II Berlin as a theatrical backdrop.
SPY also deals with contemporary espionage and intelligence issues as well. SPY offers a film called Ground Truth, which looks at challenges facing intelligence professionals in the 21st century, and a new gallery called Weapons of Mass Disruption deals with the current threats of cyber-warfare.
I saw that the students, as well as some adults, truly enjoyed the interactive exhibits at SPY. Operation Spy allows participants to assume the role of a U.S. spy on a mission to locate a missing nuclear device before the bad guys find it. Through live-action, video characters, special effects and one’s imagination, participants can come close to being a real spy.
Paul Davis also writes an American Crime blog for GreatHistory.com. His web page is here and his e-mail address is pauldavisoncrime@comcast.net
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