International Spy Museum
Time for another drive up the I-95 to Washington DC. Capital city of the USA. It’s a grand old place. Massive buildings built on good old fashioned architecture.
Today’s visit for the Spy Museum. DC may be full of every possible museum known (and unknown) but this one is special. It’s new and has some very good reports. The US involvement in the two World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, the Cold War and The War Against Terrorism (TWAT) have insured the need for good spy networks, sneaky infiltration, codes, cyphers and all manner of technical goodies that aren’t just reserved to James Bond and his fictional kind. And despite some people’s belief that the US is a very insular country this is the International Spy Museum.
The Spy Museum is a wonderful place. For those of us who have always had a passion for espionage the museum has a wealth of knowledge and detail covering not just the CIA. The German Enigma machines and the work of Bletchley Park are covered. Everything from the early days of spying through the Cold War and into modern times is there.
The museum is also very hands on. Everyone has the chance to take on the persona of a spy, each with an identity and a mission which is updated along the way. Can you remember who you are and why you’re leaving? Get the wrong answers and you may find yourself stuck and imprisoned. You may need that lipstick pistol or that pair of cyanide impregnated spectacles.
Learn about the famous spies, there techniques, tricks and disguises. Explore the gadgets including bugs and cameras used. Read the documents that the Kremlin never intended you to see. Infiltrate and escape.
Fiction isn’t left out. There is a full size Aston Martin DB5 model, made famous by James Bond, as well as other little props and videos from the movie world.
The museum also has some temporary exhibits and events that can stimulate and excite both adults and children. It is an extremely good museum and well worth a visit for those in DC.
Just remember the Moscow Rules.
Link: International Spy Museum, Washington DC
