Jonna Mendez, Former CIA "Chief of Disguise," Breaks Down Cold War Spy Gadgets

[NurseJackie]

During the Cold War, surveillance in Moscow was the most difficult kind of surveillance that the US had encountered around the globe. Moscow had its own set of rules since it was such a difficult place to work. Former CIA Chief of Disguise Jonna Mendez talks about some of the tactics, gadgets and disguises CIA operatives used in the field during the Cold War.

Check out Jonna Mendez’s most recent book The Moscow Rules or find more information about her on her website on https://www.themasterofdisguise.com/

Moscow Rules: https://tinyurl.com/y67coge9

Archival images courtesy of the International Spy Museum (SPY) in Washington, DC, a Guinness World Record recognized nonprofit with the largest collection of spy artifacts in the world. At the Museum, you can see firsthand some of these spy gadgets: http://www.spymuseum.org/

Additional Archival Images Courtesy of:

Clint Emerson’s Five Second Mask, also courtesy of International Spy Museum

Image of Trigon courtesy of the CIA who does not endorse the contents of this production
Crypto Museum: http://www.cryptomuseum.com
Getty
Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division

[NurseJackie]

1. We have visited the Spy Museum in DC...

... it's a really fun way to spend a few hours. I enjoyed it very much.

[Illumination]

2. Awesome! This is a good incentive for a visit in a post pandemic world. It reminds me of the Mob

Museum in Las Vegas NV. The video was absolutely mind boggling! Thank you for this Nurse Jackie!..... ..... .....

[NurseJackie]

3. They have the actual "spy-mailbox" used by Aldrich Ames.

... and there's also a Nazi Enigma machine. I was most interested in the historical artifacts and lessons to be learned, but in order to make the place less of a stuffy old museum, there was a big focus on James Bond's spy gadgets (but they managed to make it factual too by comparing them to actual gadgets, or what they were based on, or what the technology eventually became.) There was "something for everyone" and for all ages/all interest levels.

[magicguido]

4. "the false scrotum"

[NurseJackie]

5. I know!!! I laughed out loud when I saw that...

... it's a serious subject, but it still made me chuckle (my inner 12-year-old was amused). I was loud enough that my husband heard me from the other room and he asked "what's so funny?" So I had to rewind and show him. (He just rolled his eyes.)

ME ->
HIM -->

[2naSalit]

6. Soo...

If spies can have false scrotum, makes me suddenly wonder about melanoma's kidneys, and czarina's too. Those could hold a lot of stuff!

[NurseJackie]

7. Hmmm... you may have something there!