Mission  more

The Museum lifts the veil of secrecy on the hidden world of intelligence and espionage—exploring its successes and failures, challenges and controversies.

Espionage and Intelligence have played a critical role in our past and continue to influence our present and future, but by design, they are kept under the shroud of secrecy. The International Spy Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to uncovering the global world of intelligence and espionage.

The Museum's mission is to educate the public about espionage and intelligence in an engaging way and to provide a context that fosters understanding of their important role in, and impact on, current and historic events.

The Museum provides an objective and apolitical forum for the exploration of the role of intelligence in society and its impact on people's lives.

 

Collection Highlights

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The lipstick pistol, used by KGB operatives during the Cold War, is a 4.5 mm, single shot weapon. It delivered the ultimate “kiss of death.”

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For 50 years, the Minox was the essential spy camera. It could take 50 pictures without reloading, and its high resolution lens captured a remarkable amount of detail. John Walker, a U.S. naval officer who ran a KGB spy ring in the 1970s, used a Minox camera to document American military secrets. The camera is still made today, though not as widely used as it was during the Cold War.

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The Aston Martin DB5 first appeared in the 1964 James Bond thriller Goldfinger. The ultimate spy car not only captured the public’s imagination, but inspired intelligence agencies to incorporate similar features into high security vehicles used in dangerous areas.

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This tiny, easy to hide microdot camera could photograph documents and produce microdots less than a millimeter in diameter. Reading them required special magnifying viewers.

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Hollow coins easily concealed microfilm and microdots. They were opened by inserting a needle into a tiny hole in the front of the coin.

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1960s-1970s, Romanian Secret Service (Securitate) Secretly obtaining an American diplomat’s shoes, the Romanians outfitted them with a hidden microphone and transmitter, thus enabling them to monitor the conversations of the unsuspecting target.

Leadership

Leadership at the Spy Museum including Board of Directors, Advisory Board, and Honorary Board.

Careers

Learn more about open positions at the Spy Museum.

Community Initiatives

Strong community relationships help guide the Museum’s offerings and inspires diverse programming to local DC metropolitan community.