Discover the Secrets of the CIA Museum

Coco with CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Deputy Director Michael Ellis

Have you wondered what it would be like to be a real spy? The CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, is home to the CIA Museum, which offers a glimpse into the world of espionage.

The museum showcases a variety of spy gadgets used by real CIA officers. In fact, the Museum has more than 600 artifacts on display. These range from a spy plane used during the Cold War, a helicopter used in Afghanistan, to an unsolved puzzle named Kryptos. Although the museum is closed to the public and only the agency’s employees, family members, and other government officials can visit, anyone can explore the amazing artifacts listed online. More than 200 have been digitized and are available to view on the CIA website. (cia.gov)

Coco in front of the iconic seal inside CIA headquarters

The CIA Museum, created in 1972 by former CIA Executive Director and then Director, William E. Colby highlights spy gadgets used by CIA officers and espionage memorabilia. This includes many different cameras, including the microdot camera, that can turn a picture the size of a page into something as small as a period in a sentence, to keep it hidden.

Coco inside the museum next to the sign for Alcott Hall, which was a building used by the CIA before they moved to their current headquarters in Langley, Virginia

To learn more about gadgets used by the CIA, I spoke with Gina W, the Exhibits Manager of the CIA Museum. Here is a brief look at our conversation that has been edited for length and clarity:

Do kids ever get to see the museum?

Kids get to come see the museum. Our officers can bring their families in, and we also have other official visitors who go on tours.

Can you tell me about some of the more important gadgets on display?

One gadget is a modified pipe with a radio using bone conduction. When you bite on it you can hear conversations without being seen.

Are there any ways animals are used in the field at the CIA besides K-9s?

We use dead drops as a way to secretly pass information. Some dead drops are things so disgusting no one would pick up, like a dead rat. Since no one picks them up, the CIA can pass messages with them.

The CIA has used other animals like a mechanical fish, named Charlie, to get water samples and a life-like dragonfly, called Insectothopter, with a microphone, to hear conversations.

How do agents know how to use different gadgets while on missions?

All the gadgets have instruction sheets with them.

Do spies ever use invisible ink?

There is a history of invisible ink being used. During the Cold War, technologies were developed to be able to have invisible dry systems.

What is something really special most people don’t know?

The CIA helped thwart an attack on a Taylor Swift concert in the summer of 2024 in Austria.

For those who love World War II history, the CIA has a second museum honoring the Office of Strategic Services [OSS]. This museum highlights different people and gadgets used by the OSS during World War II, before the CIA was created. One person the museum highlights is Virginia Hall, who helped the Allies win the war with her wireless radio transmissions, leadership of resentence fighters and language abilities.

And one final tip. CIA employees are officers not agents. It’s the number one thing TV and movies get wrong.

A special thanks to Janelle and the Public Affairs team at the CIA making this visit and tour possible.