International Spy Museum

International Spy Museum

Location within Washington, D.C. Show map of Central Washington, D.C. International Spy Museum (the United States) Show map of the United States
Established	July 19, 2002 (2002-07-19)
Location	700 L'Enfant Plaza, SW Washington, D.C. United States
Coordinates	38°53′02″N77°01′34″W / 38.884°N 77.026°W / 38.884; -77.026
Type	History
Visitors	Approx. 600,000 annually [1]
Executive director	Christopher P. Costa
President	Tamara Christian
Public transit access	L'Enfant Plaza
Website	www.spymuseum.org

The International Spy Museum is an independent non-profit history museum which documents the tradecraft, history, and contemporary role of the intelligence field and espionage. It holds the largest collection ^[2] of international espionage artifacts on public display. The museum opened in 2002 in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C., and relocated to L'Enfant Plaza in 2019. ^{[3] [4]}

History

Original location of the International Spy Museum at Penn Quarter (2002–2019)

Milton Maltz, a code-breaker during the Korean War and founder of the Malrite Communications Group in 1956 (later The Malrite Company), conceptualized the International Spy Museum in 1996 as a for-profit organization. ^[5] The original museum facility in the Penn Quarter neighborhood was built by Milton Maltz and The House on F Street, L.L.C. at a cost of approximately US$40 million. ^[6] It opened to the public in 2002. ^[7]

The foundation cost of the original museum was half funded by the Malrite Company; the other $20 million came from the District of Columbia through enterprise zone bonds and TIF bonds. The museum was part of the ongoing rejuvenation of Penn Quarter, kicked off in the 1980s by the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation. ^[8]

In April 2015, plans were released for a new museum designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. ^[3] In January 2019, the museum began the process of moving from its previous F Street location to the new $162 million dedicated building at 700 L'Enfant Plaza, and it reopened to the public on May 12, 2019. ^[9] The 32,000 square foot L'Enfant Plaza building has a 145-seat theater, rooftop terrace, and top-floor event space. ^[10] The new museum is a non-profit enterprise.

Educational and cultural programs are offered for students, adults, and families including scholarly lectures, films, book signings, hands-on workshops, and group tour packages. The museum charges admission fees. ^[11]

Collection

The museum houses more than 7,000 artifacts with around 1,000 on public display, accompanied by historical photographs, interactive displays, film, and video. The permanent collection traces the complete history of espionage, from the Ancient Greeks and the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the British Empire, the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, the American Civil War, both World Wars, the Cold War, and through present day espionage activity. Items include:

• A Four Rotor Japanese Enigma Machine, built by Germany during World War II for its ally, Japan, allowing German and Japanese soldiers to communicate securely with each other. ^{[12] [13]}
• The wreckage of Francis Gary Powers' U-2 plane. ^[14]
• A 1922 Silver Dollar with Suicide Pin that was made by the CIA for the U-2 program. ^{[15] [16]}
• A Bay of Pigs flag. The 2506 Assault Brigade was meant to fly this flag as a symbol of victory following the 1961 invasion attempt. ^[17]
• A vial of heavy water produced to commemorate WWII's Operation Gunnerside. ^[18]
• A printing plate used in Operation Bernhard, an exercise by Nazi Germany to forge British bank notes. ^{[19] [20]}
• A coat with a buttonhole camera, created by the KGB. ^[21]
• A c.1949 Steineck ABC Wristwatch Camera from Germany. The watch allowed an agent to take photographs while pretending to check his or her watch. ^[22]
• A Lipstick Pistol used by KGB operatives during the Cold War. ^{[23] [24]}
• A replica of an Aerial Surveillance Pigeon Camera from World War I. ^[25]
• The Aston Martin DB5 that was used in the movie Goldfinger, the third part of the James Bond film series. ^[26]

In 2011, the museum had an interactive called Spy in the City where visitors were given a GPS-type device and had to find clues near various landmarks in the area surrounding the museum to obtain the password for a secret weapon. ^[27]

See also

• CIA Museum
• Imperial War Museum
• National Cryptologic Museum
• Mark Stout
• Vince Houghton

References

1. Kennicott, Philip (May 7, 2019). "The best part of the new Spy Museum? Its exterior" . The Washington Post .
2. "Guinness World Record - Largest Espionage Museum!". International Spy Museum. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
3. Goldchain, Michelle (April 23, 2015). "What to Expect From the Brand New International Spy Museum". Curbed .
4. "You can buy advance tickets online to the bigger Spy Museum, which opens May 12"". The Washington Post .
5. Folkinshteyn, Benjamin (Fall 2007). "Washington as First Action Hero: Museums Redefined". DePaul Journal of Art. 18 (1): 1.
6. Radosh, Ronald (2010). "Scoping Out The International Spy Museum". Academic Questions. 3. 23 (3): 287–297. doi:10.1007/s12129-010-9171-1. S2CID   144517146.
7. Ensor, David (June 19, 2002). "Poison umbrellas, lethal lipstick: Spy museum opens". CNN .
8. "36 C.F.R. Chapter IX – Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation".
9. McGlone, Peggy (May 8, 2019). "The new Spy Museum is bigger, bolder and more beautiful. Here are the 10 things you shouldn't miss" . The Washington Post .
10. Cooper, Rebecca (December 31, 2018). "Spy Museum says goodbye to Penn Quarter". American City Business Journals .
11. "Plan a Visit". International Spy Museum. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
12. "Four Rotor Enigma Machine". International Spy Museum. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
13. "Dr. Andrew Hammond Talks Cyber Espionage, Spy Museum and More". Forcepoint. 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
14. "U-2 Wreckage Piece (Francis Gary Powers)". International Spy Museum. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
15. "SPY MUSEUM ACQUIRES SUICIDE SILVER DOLLAR". www.coinbooks.org. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
16. "Wealthy collector gives his hoard to spy museum: suicide needles, the ax used on Trotsky". The Seattle Times. 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
17. "2506 Brigade Flag". International Spy Museum. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
18. "Heavy Water". International Spy Museum. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
19. "Operation Bernhard Printing Plate". International Spy Museum. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
20. "Nazi forgeries to take center stage at new Int'l Spy Museum". The Jerusalem Post . ISSN   0792-822X . Retrieved 2023-02-21.
21. "International Spy Museum opens its doors". New Atlas. 2004-06-03. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
22. "Steineck ABC Wristwatch Camera". International Spy Museum. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
23. "Lipstick Pistol". International Spy Museum. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
24. "Umbrella Guns and Fake Poop? Cold War Spies Thought of Everything". HistoryNet. 2023-01-19. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
25. "Pigeon Camera". International Spy Museum. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
26. Swartz, Dan (May 8, 2019). "PHOTOS: The (New) International Spy Museum". Washingtonian. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
27. Predavec, Evan (October 21, 2011). "Spies in the City: The International Spy Museum". Wired .

External links

• Official website