BGuthrie Photos: DC -- International Spy Museum -- 4. Secret History of History

DC -- International Spy Museum -- 4. Secret History of History:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. SPYHIS_141026_001.JPG: The Lord said to Moses, "Send me to spy out the land of Ca'naan..." --- Num., 13:1 Moses send them to spy out the land of Ca'naan, and said to them, "Go up there into the Neg'eb, and go up into the hill country, and see what the land is like, and whether the people who live in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or man, and whether the land they live in is good or bad, and whether the towns that they live in are unwalled or fortified, and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not." -- Numbers, 13:17-20
2. SPYHIS_141026_004.JPG: Rosetta Stone: Key to an Ancient World: After the fall of ancient Egypt, knowledge of hieroglyphics was lost. The symbols and pictures in ancient tombs were a mystery to European explorers who found them... until 1799, when Napoleon Bonaparte's army unearthed a large black rock while building a fort in Rosetta, Egypt. Their discovery, the Rosetta Stone, was inscribed in 196 BC with identical text in three languages. The stone provided translation between ancient hieroglyphs and Greek. Today's study of codes has moved beyond one-to-one correspondence, but the principle still stands -- just as the Rosetta Stone unlocked mysteries of ancient Egypt, a code book unlocks a code.
3. SPYHIS_141026_009.JPG: Code Breaker Profile Jean-Francois Champollion, France He Cracked the Code A scholar of ancient writings, Jean-Francois Champollion recognized the three identical, parallel inscriptions on the Rosetta Stone. By comparing Greek words with corresponding hieroglyphs he determined that Egyptian characters represented both sounds and symbols. Like modern code breakers, the Champollion found correspondences between hieroglyphs and known languages. With these correspondences as the key, he unlocked Egypt's long-secret code.
4. SPYHIS_141026_012.JPG: The Secret History of History Uncovering the Hidden Hands Spies have shaped the destiny of nations since the beginning of time -- some inspired by patriotism, some driven by fear, others fired by greed or a combination of motives. Clearly, espionage did not begin with the CIA or KGB. History books record people and events. They tell us what happened. To learn the how and why, you must peek behind the curtain.
5. SPYHIS_141026_015.JPG: Second Oldest Profession: The Ancient Craft of Espionage: Moses sent spies to scout Canaan. In ancient China, Sun-Tzu advocated deception as a military tool. Julius Caesar devised codes to keep secrets secret ... as did America's Thomas Jefferson 18 centuries later. Intrigue, trickery, and guile have always been powerful weapons. Forgery helped pave the way for Hannibal's attack on Rome. English spies furnished the evidence that sent Mary, Queen of Scots to the executioner's block. Deceit, disguise, and artful concealment are as old as our unquenchable thirst for knowledge and power.
6. SPYHIS_141026_018.JPG: The Writing on the Wall: A Mysterious Message: The prophet Daniel was an interpreter of dreams and messages. He can be considered the first cryptanalyst -- he found meaning where others could not. During a feast thrown by King Belshazzar of Babylon, Aramaic words were written on the wall by a disembodied hand. Only Danie could interpret their meaning -- that God had NUMBERED the king's days. WEIGHED him and found him wanting, and would divide his kingdom between the PERSIANS (and Medes). Daniel understood that the unworthy king would be defeated that evening, and his kingdom partitioned. THe prophecy came true.
7. SPYHIS_141026_021.JPG: Spies at Court: Courtly Intrigue: Behind their cultured veneer, the noble cities of Renaissance Europe were hotbeds of international espionage. Rulers plotted to retain or expand their power, while rivals schemed to take over. No one embodied this courtly intrigue more than the ruthless Cardinal Richelieu, the evil villain of Alexander Dumas' The Three Musketeers. Building a spy network that stretched throughout Europe, he outsmarted political rivals and solidified the power of the French throne. In contrast was the romantic Giacomo Casanova, whose seductive charm captivated lovers and decieved enemies.
8. SPYHIS_141026_022.JPG: Scheming Spymaster: As secretary of foreign affairs, Cardinal Richelieu was one of the most powerful men in 17th century Europe. A brilliant spymaster, he created a cabinet noir, or black chamber, to intercept mail and learn enemy secrets.
9. SPYHIS_141026_024.JPG: Statesman, Philosophy, Spymaster: Niccolo Machiavelli chronicled the turmoil and intrigue of Italian politics circa 1500. In his classic work, The Prince, he championed espionage as a means of retaining power. "Machiavellian" remains a term used to describe unscrupulous cunning and deception.
10. SPYHIS_141026_026.JPG: The Prince, 1505 Niccolo Machiavelli
11. SPYHIS_141026_029.JPG: Lover and Spy: We remember Giacomo Casanova as a great lover, but his charm also served him well as a spy for the king of France. Posing as a Venetian sea captain, he befriended British naval officers and learned details about the strength of their fleet.
12. SPYHIS_141026_031.JPG: Ninja Spies: Shadowy figures, cloaked in darkness and mystery, these spies were trained to enter any place undetected and strike when least expected. Ninjas were professional spies during the age of the samurai in 12th century Japan. Their characteristic costume and skillful use of weapons branded them as assassins. Yet ninjas were more often used to gather information and undermine the enemy. Ninja comes from the Japanese word, ninjitsu, which means "the art of the shadow." These shadow skills were passed from generation to generation. A ninja spent years in training, learning his craft and becoming a man of knowledge to protect his body, mind, and spirit.
13. SPYHIS_141026_036.JPG: The stuff of legends, ninjas have been depicted throughout history, from traditional woodblock prints to today's blockbuster films.
14. SPYHIS_141026_039.JPG: Royal Spies: Queen versus Queen: Mary Queen of Scots would stop at nothing to win the English throne from her cousin, Elizabeth I. She even masterminded a plot to assassinate Elizabeth. Writing letters to her conspirators in secret code, Mary thought no one would discover her scheme. But Elizabeth had a secret weapon in battling her archrival: Sir Francis Walsingham, chief advisor and spymaster extraordinaire. Walsingham intercepted Mary's letters and hired an expert cryptographer to decode them. The letters gave Elizabeth the proof she needed to silence her enemy once and for all. Mary was ocnvicted of trason and beheaded in 1587.
15. SPYHIS_141026_040.JPG: The Queen's Spymaster: Sir Francis Walsingham, chief advisor to Elizabeth I, ran the greatest spy network on his time. His espionage not only uncovered plots against Elizabeth, but also helped defeat the Spanish Armada. His motto: "Knowledge is never too dear."
16. SPYHIS_141026_042.JPG: The Spying Scientist: John Dee's absent-minded scientist persona masked a clever and calculating spy. Thinking him harmless, fellow members of Queen Elizabeth's court let down their guard and revealed their most valuable secrets. Dee then reported his findings back to the queen.
17. SPYHIS_141026_044.JPG: Framing a Queen: Sir Francis Walsingham asked cryptographer Thomas Phelippes to add a postscript to a letter intercepted from Mary, Queen of Scots. The added postscript would link her to a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I.
18. SPYHIS_141026_047.JPG: Trickery in Code: Upon Walsingham's request, cryptographer Thomas Phelippes added a coded postscript to a letter from Mary, Queen of Scots to strengthen evidence that she planned to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I.
19. SPYHIS_141026_055.JPG: There is nowhere you cannot put spies to good use. A military operation involved deception. Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective. No one is given rewards as rich as those given to spies, and no matter is more secret that espionage. -- Sun Tzu, The Art of War
20. SPYHIS_141026_057.JPG: The First Spymaster: Chinese general Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War -- the earliest-known text on warfare and espionage -- around 400 BC. In it, he devoted an entire chapter to spying, stressing the importance of intelligence and counterintelligence. His classic work has stood the test of time. It's still required reading in military services around the world -- business leaders apply his strategies and tactics to gain the edge against their competitors.
21. SPYHIS_141026_062.JPG: Second Oldest Profession: The Ancient Craft of Espionage: Moses sent spies to scout Canaan. In ancient China, Sun-Tzu advocated deception as a military tool. Julius Caesar devised codes to keep secrets secret... as did America's Thomas Jefferson 18 centuries later. Intrigue, trickery, and guile have always been powerful weapons. Forgery helped pave the way for Hannibal's attack on Rome. English spies furnished the evidence that sent Mary, Queen of Scots to the executioner's block. Deceit, disguise, and artful concealment are as old as our unquenchable thirst for knowledge and power.
22. SPYHIS_141026_064.JPG: Cardano Grille: Instructions: Slowly slide the Cardano Grille to the right. When the Grille is properly positioned, its cutout sections will reveal a secret message hidden within the innocent-looking text.
23. SPYHIS_141026_066.JPG: Host ile forces will soon raid the king's castle gather 500 royal men to de fend him
24. SPYHIS_141026_067.JPG: Code Breaker Profile: Messages Behind Masks Girolamo Cardano invented the Cardano Grille, a form of hidden writing called "steganography." The grille was a mask with word-sized cutouts. The sender laid the grille on a piece of paper, wrote the message in the cutouts, then removed the grille and filled the remaining spaces with an innocent-sounding message. The recipient placed an identical grille on the letter to revewal the secret message.
25. SPYHIS_141026_069.JPG: Dominator Immortal, Governor of the World: Johannes Trithemius, a Benedictine monk, developed a letter-to-word substitution code. For instance, this pious Latin phrase, Dominator immortalis gubernans mundana, corresponds to the letters FLEE. The recipient of this message, having the corresponding code book, would translate it as a directive to flee.
26. SPYHIS_141026_079.JPG: A Legendary Deception: Legend has it that after 10 years of trying to conquer the city of Troy by siege, the Greeks turned to deception. Epic poems tell of them building a hollow wooden horse large enough to hold 30 armed warriors. Setting the Trap: To trick the Trojans and gain access to Troy, Greek troops left a huge wooden horse filled with warriors outside the city gates.
27. SPYHIS_141026_080.JPG: A Deadly Decoy: Their bait in place, the Greeks boarded their ships and sailed out of sight, leaving just one warrior behind. Claiming the horse was an offering to the gods, and that he had escaped to avoid being sacrificed, the warrior persuaded the Trojans to bring the horse into the walled city. Taking the Bait: Believing the horse was left as a gift to the gods, the Trojans pulled it into the city.
28. SPYHIS_141026_083.JPG: A City Burns: When darkness fell, the Greek fleet returned. And as Troy slept, the warriors climbed down from the horse, killed the guards and opened the gates. The Greek troops overran the city and burned it to the ground. Where a decade of siege had failed. Troy fell in one night to deception. The Enemy Within: That night, the Greek warriors came out from the horse and opened the gates to the rest of the Greek troops.
29. SPYHIS_141026_092.JPG: Warrior Spies: Great Leaders, Great Spies: Spying for military purposes is as old as battle itself. Great war heroes were often also great spies or spymasters. By using a vast intelligence network, Hannibal was able to sneak across the Alps to Italy with an entire army of men and elephants! Julius Caesar encoded correspondence with government officials and friends. Even Alexander the Great tested his troops' loyalty by secretly reading their mail. Not surprisingly, all these techniques are still used.
30. SPYHIS_141026_095.JPG: Did a Spy Write Skakespeare? Sketching details about William Shakespeare's life have led some scholars to question the authorship of his plays. One theory holds that the renowned scholar and writer Sir Francis Bacon actually wrote Shakespeare's works. Bacon was not only a writer but also a member of Queen Elizabeth's spy network. He was especially interested in ciphers, and his supporters believed that he, in fact, authored Shakespeare's plays and embedded coded messages in the text. For instance, using ciphers developed by Bacon himself, researchers have found the word "Bacon" more than 100 times in Hamlet and other plays. One name, different signatures. Some have taken this as evidence Shakespeare couldn't write and was therefore illiterate, calling into question whether he could have penned his plays.
31. SPYHIS_141026_098.JPG: A Mystery Solved: In 1957, William and Elizebeth Friedman, husband and wife cryptanalysts, published The Shakespeare Ciphers Examined. In the book, they thoroughly debunked any evidence the Francis Bacon wrote Shakespeare's plays and sonnets. They concluded that the so-called Shakespeare ciphers were merely a vain attempt to find hidden meaning in his works. William Friedman was renowned for his codebreaking skill in World War II. His team cracked the Japanese "Purple Code," which enabled the US government to decipher communications between Japan and Nazi Germany.
32. SPYHIS_141026_100.JPG: Message Strip: Using a skytale (pronounced "skitaly"), a coded message was written on a strip of cloth wrapped around a rod. The message could be read only when wrapped around another rod of the same thickness. Instructions: To read the secret message, push the wheel with your right hand and guide the strip with your left hand. Kept the strips close together as you wind them down the rod.
33. SPYHIS_141026_102.JPG: Hannibal's Secret Crossing: One of history's greatest generals, Hannibal of Carthage crossed the Alps unnoticed to invade Italy during the Second Punic War. He was accompanied by infantry, cavalry and armored elephants. Hannibal's vast intelligence network distracted the enemy, placed spies in enemy camps, and gathered information about the terrain from locals. Only one of his spies was ever detected.
34. SPYHIS_141026_104.JPG: Julius Caesar: Julius Caesar, an ancient Roman general and statesman, used a simple substitution or displacement cipher to encode correspondence with government officials and friends. He replaced each letter with the letter that follows alphabetically by three places. Caesar didn't invent the code, but he was the first to be documented using it. Today, any displacement code is called a Caesar cipher.
35. SPYHIS_141026_107.JPG: Alexander the Great: Alexander the Great conquered much of the known world in 334 BC -- and spied on his own soldiers. By reading their letters home, Alexander learned which men were dissatisfied and which remained loyal. Alexander also used spies to track enemy movements. His spies exchanged messages written on scrolls wrapped around sticks called skytales. Without an accurate stick, the text was illegible.
36. SPYHIS_141026_111.JPG: Cipher Disk: The two attached wheels of a cipher disk are printed with the same alphabet. The inner wheel turns to create a new displacement code.
37. SPYHIS_141026_115.JPG: Birds: Pigeon power: Since the earliest days of espionage, homing pigeons have been a spy's best friend. Distinguished by their speed and ability to return home in any weather, pigeons carried precious tiny cargo high above enemy lines. During both world wars, radio communication was often unreliable... but troops could count on the pigeon post! Of the hundreds of thousands of carrier pigeons sent through enemy fire, 95% completed their missions. Pigeons continued brave service worldwide through the 1950s, earning more medals of honor than any other animal.
38. SPYHIS_141026_118.JPG: Bird Cam: Pigeons outfitted with tiny cameras were released over military sites. As the birds flew, the cameras continuously clicked away, snapping pictures which were developed and interpreted when the pigeons reached their destination.
39. SPYHIS_141026_127.JPG: Bring it home: During World War I, pigeons carried messages from behind enemy lines. This bird is being released from a British tank in Northern France. It will return to England, message in tow.
40. SPYHIS_141026_131.JPG: International Spy Profile: A Fine Feathered Hero: One of 600 birds flown by the US Army Signal Corps in France during World War I, Cher Ami is remembered for his last mission. Injured by enemy fire, Cher Ami flew to his loft with a canister dangling from his mangled leg. His cargo was a desperate communication from Major Whittlesey's lost battalion -- separated from the rest of the US Army, the starving troops faced enemy machine guns and snipers. Cher Ami, their only hope, flew 25 miles in 25 minutes to save 194 lives. The brave bird died of his injuries in 1919, and was awarded the French "Croix de Guerre" with Palm for heroic service.
41. SPYHIS_141026_133.JPG: Fly, Spy! Photography Takes Wing: Evidence of the photographer can be seen in this panoramic shot of Frankfurt, Germany taken in 1907. The camera's fast shutter speed allowed for the pigeon's wings to be captured clearly on the edges of the shot.
42. SPYHIS_141026_139.JPG: Balloons: Aerial View: Long before airplanes filled the skies, gas-filled balloons lifted Union and Confederate observers over Civil War battlefield. From 300 feet above the ground, balloonists sketched terrain maps and reported on enemy activity and locations. Information was instantly transmitted over telegraph lines to ground troops. Stitched by seamstresses -- sometimes of silk recycled from dresses -- balloons were assembled by both Union and Confederate armies. But fog, wind, wooded terrain and bulky equipment limited the effectiveness of the operation and grounded balloon "fly-bys" before the end of the war.
43. SPYHIS_141026_141.JPG: Blowing Up: Professional balloonist Thaddeus Lowe offered his services to the Union army by making traditional hot air balloons more practical for use during the Civil War. Among his innovations, Lowe developed a generator for quick -- 3 hour -- inflation.
44. SPYHIS_141026_144.JPG: Grandstand Seat: From a balloon, observers can see long distances... and for a spy, a view from above provides valuable topographical information. But the skies are risky -- in case of attack, this spy carried a parachute to the right of his basket.
45. SPYHIS_141026_149.JPG: Leap for Your Life: A parachute could save a spy. Here, a World War I British photographer under attack leaps from his basket while another photographer captures the escape on film.
46. SPYHIS_141026_156.JPG: Talking to the Ground: Telegraph lines from balloons allowed instant communication. Here, an operator relays intelligence from a federal balloon station as the balloon's mooring ropes are anchored.
47. SPYHIS_141026_163.JPG: The Secret History of History: Balloons, Birds and Battlefields: Harnessing the Potential of Film and Flight: Spies have always been quick to exploit new technologies. In America's Civil War, ballooning quite literally raised reconnaissance to a new level as Union soldiers spied on Confederate troops from 300 feet above the battlefield. Nineteenth century agents armed with cameras combined aviation with the fledgling art of photography, capturing pictures for detailed analysis. They also joined both these technologies with an ancient espionage tool: carrier pigeons. During the 1870-1871 Franco-Prussian War, balloons over Paris released birds carrying photographically reduced documents.
48. SPYHIS_141026_166.JPG: Ahead of Its Time: Thomas Jefferson invited the cylindrical cipher in the 1790s. The US Army used a similar device, the M-94, to encrypt messages before World War II. The model displayed here is based on the M-94.
49. SPYHIS_141026_175.JPG: Spy Stories: Art Imitates Life: The best spies, like the best writers, are keen observers of human behavior. So it's not surprising that famous authors have doubled as secret agents, while masterful spies have penned memorable literature. This tradition, which goes back to Christopher Marlowe and includes Daniel Defoe, Richard Burton, and Edgar Allan Poe, continues to the present day. W. Somerset Maugham is sometimes credited as the inventor of the modern spy story. He based Ashenden: Or the British Agent on his experiences in the British secret service. Other great modern writer-spies include Ian Fleming and Graham Greene.
50. SPYHIS_141026_179.JPG: Words of Mystery: Edgar Allan Poe, master of the short story, was also a master codebreaker known for his skill at solving ciphers. In his tale, "The Gold-Bug," the hero discovered a buried treasure by decoding a message written in invisible ink.
51. SPYHIS_141026_187.JPG: A Globetrotting Spy: As a young man in the 1800s, Richard Burton traveled through India, Africa, and Arabia as a spy for the British army. His espionage helped the army quell uprisings in British-occupied provinces. Later, he published books about his world travels and translated The Arabian Nights and the Kama Sutra.
52. SPYHIS_141026_192.JPG: Fleming. Ian Fleming. Author of 14 James Bond novels, Ian Fleming was himself an intelligence officer for the British navy. He even advised the US on establishing an American secret service. His experiences inspired many of Bond's adventures. Like his fictional spy, Fleming enjoyed gambling, fast cars, and beautiful women.
53. SPYHIS_141026_195.JPG: American Traitor: Benedict Arnold could have become one of the great heroes of the American Revolution. Instead, he chose to become a traitor. A brilliant officer, Arnold won a string of victories over the British. But when Congress passed him over for promotion, he became bitter and resentful. In 1780, he agreed to betray his command post as West Point in exchange for a British commission and money. The plot was thwarted and Arnold joined the British, but his new hosts never fully trusted him; friendless and destitute, he died in London in 1801.
54. SPYHIS_141026_200.JPG: Revolutionary Espionage: The newly formed United States did not escape the attention of England's black chamber. British letter tamperers intercepted mail from Benjamin Franklin, among others, and learned information that helped them fight the Revolutionary War.
55. SPYHIS_141026_210.JPG: Black Chambers: Letter Tampering in European Courts: Throughout the 1700s, European monarchs ran black chambers -- secret offices where mail was intercepted, read, and resealed. The most renowned black chamber (cabinet noir) in Vienna, operated like a small factory, with mail delivered promptly each morning, sorted, and assigned to the appropriate specialist. Correspondents tried to thwart the black chamber by writing in secret code and designing intricate seals. The black chamber in turn developed ever more sophisticated methods of decoding letters and replacing seals. Black chambers lasted until the early 1900s, when they succumbed to political change and new technology.
56. SPYHIS_141026_221.JPG: Above Suspicion: Gaining Our Trust ... Then Our Secrets: Americans remember George Washington as the "father of our country." How many know him as the spymaster behind the "Culper Ring," gathering information on British troops? Readers celebrate Daniel Defoe as the author of Robinson Crusoe. Few recognize him as the founder of Britain's espionage network. Spies, like magicians, deceive by diverting our attention, using public lives to conceal hidden deeds. They encourage doubt and uncertainty -- which sometimes can cast suspicion on the innocent, as in the 19th century's notorious Dreyfus Affair.
57. SPYHIS_141026_224.JPG: I accuse...! This headline grabbed public attention when it appeared in the French newspaper L'Aurore on January 13, 1898. Written by the renowned author, Emile Zola, it focused public attention on the Dreyfus case.
58. SPYHIS_141026_226.JPG: Alfred Dreyfus: The Spy Who Wasn't: In 1894 the French army obtained a letter revealing that a high-ranking officer was selling secrets to Germany. Suspicion fell on Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer. Ignoring the fact that Dreyfus' handwriting did not match the letter, an anti-Semitic court convicted him of treason and imprisoned him on a barren island. Eventually the truth emerged: the real traitor was Major Ferdinand Esterhazy, a close friend of an officer in the French Intelligence Bureau. But the military ignored this new evidence until public pressure forced a retrial. Once again, Dreyfus was convicted. Only a presidential pardon secured his freedom.
59. SPYHIS_141026_232.JPG: Mockery of Justice: The court martial of Alfred Dreyfus (standing) turned on anti-Semitic fervor and the flimsiest of evidence -- a letter clearly written by someone other than Dreyfus. Army officers violated French law by refusing to let Dreyfus and his attorneys examine the letter.
60. SPYHIS_141026_237.JPG: Falsely Accused: Alfred Dreyfus spent 12 years exiled on the notorious Devil's Island, a penal colony near French Guiana. He might have remained there if not for novelist Emile Zola, who denounced the French government and rallied fellow writers to keep the Dreyfus story alive.
61. SPYHIS_141026_245.JPG: WWI: Revolt in the Middle East: As World War I set the Middle East ablaze, Thomas Edward Lawrence of British intelligence joined the Arab uprising against Ottoman rule. Quickly gaining the insurgents' confidence and friendship, he assisted Arab guerillas in blowing up railway tracks and participated in a daring overland attack to capture the strategically-located Ottoman port city Aqaba. TE Lawrence's adventures were immortalized in his book, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, and the movie, Lawrence of Arabia.
62. SPYHIS_141026_248.JPG: WWI: The Plot That Boomeranged: "Make war together, make peace together... reconquer the lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona" -- this was German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann's brazen proposal to Mexico if the US entered the war. But British Naval Intelligence intercepted Zimmermann's message and handed it to the Americans. President Wilson was shocked, and an outraged American public clamored for retaliation -- in April 1917, the United States declared war on Germany.
63. SPYHIS_141026_253.JPG: WWI: Covert Action in Russia: Determined to knock Russia out of the war, German intelligence turned to covert action. The Germans smuggled exiled Russian revolutionary Lenin from Switzerland to Russia where he rallied his Bolshevik supporters, overthrew the government made peace with Berlin. In the short term, this operation freed up over one million German troops. But in the long term, the emergence of the Soviet Union would come to haunt Germany.
64. SPYHIS_141026_259.JPG: Legend in Her Own Mind: Mata Hari embodied all the romance of espionage. This exotic dancer turned World War I spy supposed seduced diplomats and military officers into giving up their secrets. But history shows that most of her exploits took place only in her imagination.
65. SPYHIS_141026_264.JPG: Letter written by Mata Hari France, 1908 Translation: March 21, 1908 Dear Mr. Bormes, I hope you remember me when I danced two years ago at the opera in "The King of Lahore." Please do me a great pleasure and let me have an opera ticket for tonight. I am very grateful to you and will come by to say hello one of these days. Mata Hari
66. SPYHIS_141026_269.JPG: The First "Secret Service" Civil War Spies: When the American Civil War began, neither the North nor the South had any significant intelligence or counterintelligence capability. Instead, generals personally operated espionage rings and recruited and directed spies. In 1861, President Lincoln hired Alan Pinkerton to organize a professional "secret service." Before the war, Pinkerton's National Detective Agency had tracked down embezzlers, counterfeiters, train robbers, and strike organizers. Now, his detectives obtained military information and stopped intelligence from getting to the Confederacy. Working directly under General George B. McClellan, commander of the Union Army, Pinkerton's detectives were used throughout the Southern States.
67. SPYHIS_141026_271.JPG: Lincoln's Right-Hand Man: President Lincoln stands between Pinkerton and Major General McClernand after the Battle of Antietam, where inaccurate intelligence reports may have contributed to the Union forces' failure to destroy the Confederate Army.
68. SPYHIS_141026_281.JPG: The Bureau: After Pinkerton's departure, a Bureau of Military Information was created in 1863, headed by Colonel George H. Sharpe. The bureau gathered information from a wide array of sources and provided timely analyses.
69. SPYHIS_141026_283.JPG: We Never Sleep: After the Civil War, Pinkerton's Detective Agency did a booming business, and even the federal government hired Pinkerton detectives on an ad hoc basis to conduct investigations. The agency's logo -- the All-Seeing Eye -- inspired the term "Private Eye."
70. SPYHIS_141026_287.JPG: A Spy's Eye View of the Civil War: The Civil War, America's bloodiest conflict, pitted brother against brother and forced West Point classmates to face off on the battlefield. In this brutal struggle, intelligence played a vital role. Before the Civil War broke out in 1861, a field commander could receive reports no faster than his ancient Roman counterpart. In this first modern intelligence war, however, the telegraph, the railroad, balloons, and an expanding free press gave generals a significant advantage. Battles were won and lost not only with technology and military might, but also with hard-won information from heroic slaves, cunning society belles, and daring scouts.
71. SPYHIS_141026_291.JPG: Rose O'Neal Greenhow
72. SPYHIS_141026_294.JPG: She Risked Everything: Rose O'Neal Greenhow risked her family's wealth, social position, and safely to spy for the Confederacy. Even after she and her daughter were imprisoned, she continued her espionage.
73. SPYHIS_141026_302.JPG: Belle Boyd in Confederate Uniform after 1865
74. SPYHIS_141026_308.JPG: Sisterhood of Spies Civil War Sorority of Spies On both sides of the Civil War, strong passionate women risked their lives to help their cause. They played a particularly valuable role in espionage. On the Union side there was Sarah Emma Edmonds disguising herself as an African-American soldier... Pauline Cushman infiltrating enemy troops and narrowly escaping execution... Elizabeth van Lew tricking prison guards into thinking she was eccentric and harmless. Women served the Confederate cause, too. Belle Boyd, outspoken and adventurous, charmed her way in and out of trouble. Society widow Rose O'Neal Greenhow continued her espionage activities even after she and her young daughter were imprisoned.
75. SPYHIS_141026_310.JPG: Sarah Emma Edmonds
76. SPYHIS_141026_315.JPG: Pauline Cushman in Uniform From stage to spy... and back: Actress Pauline Cushman left the stage to become a spy for the Union army. Claiming to be looking for her brother, she moved easily among Confederate troops. After she was caught and nearly executed, she toured the country in uniform, telling of her adventures.
77. SPYHIS_141026_326.JPG: Education of a Spy: As a young girl, Elizabeth Van Lew penned the phrase "Keep your mouth shut, your eyes and ears open" almost forty times in this school practice notebook. As a Union spy during the Civil War, she put her maxim to effective use.
78. SPYHIS_141026_334.JPG: The Union / Federal Cipher Disk: Union Chief Signal Officer General Albert J. Myer (AJM) used this cipher disk to send secret signals. The key would be determined prior to sending the message and would change frequently so it was less likely that signals would be intercepted and decrypted. Set the letter "R" on the inner disk to the "8" on the outer disk. Try your hand at deciphering the message: 1188 1881 81 111 811 181 8181
79. SPYHIS_141026_341.JPG: Who Are These Men? On June 8, 1863, Confederate Colonel William Orton Williams and his cousin Lieutenant Walter G. Peter rode into Union-held Fort Granger, TN wearing Union uniforms. Showing forged papers, they said they were there to inspect the forts in the area. The Union commander became suspicious and had them arrested. He sent a message to headquarters asking if anyone could vouch for them. Word came back from Brigadier General James Garfield (future US President) that they should be court-martialed as spies.
80. SPYHIS_141026_346.JPG: Lofty Intel: The Peninsula Campaign: March - August, 1862 The Balloon Corps, commissioned by President Lincoln, sailed into service during the Civil War. In the Peninsula Campaign of 1862, General George B. McClellan aimed to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond. His spymaster, Allen Pinkerton, had described a far larger Confederate force than actually existed, and so McClellan advanced cautiously. This plodding pace gave both sides the chance to use tethered balloons for reconnaissance. Union Chief Aeronaut Thaddeus Lowe's balloonists were able to see far beyond Confederate lines and chart enemy movements, and they transmitted this information via telegraph to the ground. They also gathered information for Union mapmakers. Despite these advantages, McCellan's army withdrew defeated from the peninsula. The Balloon Corps was abolished in 1863.
81. SPYHIS_141026_353.JPG: "I have just obtained a splendid observation from the balloon. I find the enemy in large force on the New Bridge Road." -- Aeronaut Thaddeus Lowe
82. SPYHIS_141026_355.JPG: Intelligence Ignored: Battle of Antietam September 17, 1862 Union General McClellan consistently made poor use of intelligence. Days after finding Lee's orders, he received reports that Lee was straying from the battle plan. McClellan dismissed this breaking intelligence -- and lost his chance to catch the divided Confederates by surprise. When he finally engaged Lee at Antietam, his army failed to deliver a crushing blow to the Confederates, who had regrouped. However, it succeeded in stopping Lee's invasion of the North. As a result, both England and France lost faith in the Confederacy, and Lincoln was emboldened to issue a preliminary emancipation proclamation.
83. SPYHIS_141026_359.JPG: Lee's Lost Orders: When a Union corporal stooped to pick up three cigars lying in a clover field near Frederick, MD, he had no idea what he had found. Wrapped around them were General Robert E. Lee's plans for his Maryland campaign. For General George B. McClellan, finding Special Orders No. 191 on September 13, 1862 was incredible luck. He telegraphed Lincoln: "I think Lee has made a gross mistake and he will be severely punished for it."
84. SPYHIS_141026_360.JPG: "Here is a paper with which, if I cannot whip Bobby Lee, I will be willing to go home." -- General George B. McClellan
85. SPYHIS_141026_362.JPG: Knowing the Enemy: Every commander wants to know the strength and structure of his enemy's army. Union intelligence officers John Babcock interrogated Confederate prisoners and deserters and read captured documents to piece together the organization of Lee's army, including JEB Stuart's cavalry division.
86. SPYHIS_141026_365.JPG: Knowledge is Power: Battle of Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863 After two days of fierce fighting, the Union army was battered. General George G. Meade had to decide whether to keep fighting. In a battlefield meeting, his chief intelligence officer revealed that prisoners had been captured from every Confederate brigade except one. This meant only Pickett's division had not yet fought. With the knowledge that the Confederates had few fresh troops to call on, Meade stayed to fight. The next day, Union troops repelled Pickett's Charge and won the war's decisive battle.
87. SPYHIS_141026_372.JPG: Tapping Telegraph Lines: By the start of the Civil War, telegraph lines crisscrossed the country. Spies tapped lines to intercept messages and pass information. In 1863, Union spy William Wilson tracked Lee's army in Pennsylvania and then used a "lineman's pocket test kit" like this to send timely reports to Union forces.
88. SPYHIS_141026_378.JPG: Musical Intelligence: Music often gave away secrets -- scouts listened carefully to bands to determine the location, size, and composition of the enemy. That meant it could also be used for deception. Outnumbered by Union troops outside Yorktown during the Peninsula Campaign, Confederate General John Magruder was desperate. He told his bands to play loud and long into the night. Deceived, General McClellan believed that he was the outnumbered one. He ordered his army to entrench, thereby losing his change to overwhelm Magruder.
89. SPYHIS_141026_381.JPG: Fraudulent Fire: Often outnumbered and outgunned, Confederate troops resorted to deception to make themselves appear stronger than they were. "Quaker guns" were logs made to look like cannons -- a standard trick used throughout the war.
90. SPYHIS_141026_387.JPG: Harriet Tubman, Undercover: Slaves, runaway slaves, and free African Americans operating undercover provided valuable "black dispatches" -- intelligence -- to the Union. Harriet Tubman, famous Underground Railroad "conductor," bravely traveled back and forth between Confederate lines to spy. Assumed by Southerners to be a slave, so not a security risk, she moved freely gathering information, recruiting scouts, and identifying targets for the army. In 1862, with Colonel James Montgomery, she led a band of black soldiers on a nighttime raid along the Combahee River that rescued more than 750 slaves.
91. SPYHIS_141026_391.JPG: Elizabeth Van Lew, Spymaster: Elizabeth Van Lew was not as she appeared. Although raised in a prominent Richmond family, she became a key player in a Unionist spy ring. Not only did she help Union prisoners escape, she became a spymaster, managing the exchange of intelligence between her spies in the field and Union command. She used this cipher to encrypt her messages to General Benjamin Butler. The onionskin message carried by one of her servants in his shoe warned a collaborator of possible capture.
92. SPYHIS_141026_398.JPG: Elizabeth Van Lew, Spymaster: ... She used this cipher to encrypt her messages to General Benjamin Butler. ...
93. SPYHIS_141026_404.JPG: Elizabeth Van Lew, Spymaster: ... The onionskin message carried by one of her servants in his shoe warned a collaborator of possible capture.
94. SPYHIS_141026_411.JPG: The Red Terror Refining the Art of Ruling By Fear The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 reshaped world politics. It also transformed spying, unleashing a new era in which governments institutionalized espionage to control their own citizens. Tsarist Russia had long spied on ordinary men and women. But Feliks Dzerzhinsky, head of the new Soviet secret police (Cheka), vastly expanded the practice, creating a permanent bureaucracy that used terror and torture as political tools. Executing millions during the 1921-1953 "Red Terror," state security eliminated opponents while spreading fear to discourage dissent.
95. SPYHIS_141026_414.JPG: Sidney Reilly Reilly, Ace of Spies No one knows the whole truth about Sidney Reilly's legendary exploits. His 30-year career as a spy, mostly for Britain, took him to Germany, the Far East, Persia and Russia. He nearly succeeded in assassinating Lenin. Later, posing as a member of the Russian secret police, he claimed to have nearly overthrown the Bolshevik government. Reilly finally fell victim to the Trust, a Russian counter-intelligence organization created by Feliks Dzerzhinsky. Lured to Moscow, he was imprisoned, tortured and killed.
96. SPYHIS_141026_421.JPG: The Lockhart Plot: When Bolshevik Russia signed a separate peace with Germany in 1918, British intelligence snapped into action. With Robert Bruce Lockhart's blessing, secret agent Sidney Reilly devised a scheme to install a pro-Western government in Moscow. But the Cheka thwarted the "Lockhart Plot," and the two British conspirators barely escaped alive. Shortly after the war, Reilly presented this cigar box to Lockhart as a memento. In 1943, Lockhart was knighted, receiving these medals in recognition of his travails in Moscow.
97. SPYHIS_141026_423.JPG: To R.H. Bruce Lockhart HBM's Representative in Russia in 1918 (during the Bolshevik Regime) in remembrance of events in Moscow in August & September of that year from his faithful Lieutenant Sidney Reilly
98. SPYHIS_141026_424.JPG: Robert Hamilton Bruce Lockhart headed Britain's diplomatic mission in Moscow in 1918
99. SPYHIS_141026_426.JPG: Gramota The duty of an OGPU officer was to safeguard the Communist Party from terror and sabotage both from internal and foreign enemies. A special certificate like this, called a gramota, was issued to an officer upon his appointment to the Guards of OGPU.
100. SPYHIS_141026_436.JPG: This chess set features some of the key players from the Russian Civil War -- the kings and queens are Lenin, Stalin, Dzerzhinsky, and Trotsky
101. SPYHIS_141026_439.JPG: Hand drawn sketches by an unknown artist of revolutionary and Marxist theorist Leon Trotsky
102. SPYHIS_141026_442.JPG: 4th Red Guard Arm Band Soviet Union, 1917 During the October Revolution, the Red Guards were a Bolshevik-led workers' militia that included some of the collapsing Imperial Russian Army. This is an arm band worn by one of those soldiers.
103. SPYHIS_141026_444.JPG: The Cheka sought to "suppress and liquidate all counterrevolutionary efforts." This Cheka mandate was signed by founder Feliks Dzerzhinsky on September 3, 1919.
104. SPYHIS_141026_453.JPG: Identification badges for members of various Soviet intelligence agencies: GRU (Glavnoye Razvedyvatel'noye Upravleniye), Cheka, and NKVD.
105. SPYHIS_141026_469.JPG: Man's Best Friend Soviet Union, 1920s-1930s This diploma was issued to a Turkmen soldier and his dog for completing the NKVD canine corps training program.
106. SPYHIS_141026_485.JPG: Ever Vigilant for the Motherland Soviet Union, 1920s-1930s Propaganda posters were used to remind the Soviet citizenry to be on constant lookout for signs of enemy infiltration and subversion. Poster of Soviet Red Army traitor captured by Soviet security services.
107. SPYHIS_141026_489.JPG: NKVD poster of Soviet sword slicing off the hand of the Nazi beast.
108. SPYHIS_141026_494.JPG: Butyrka Prison The Doorway to Hell Moscow's Butyrka Prison was built in the late 1700s during the reign of Catherine the Great. During Stalin's purges of the 1930s-1950s, it became the most feared symbol of Communist excesses when spying was turned against the Soviet Union's own citizens. When people were called in for questioning, they were naturally nervous to meet with the interrogator. But few suspected that they would never leave the office. Hidden behind this cabinet's wooden front, stairs led deep into the dark heart of Butryka Prison. Suspects were often held for years under the most inhumane conditions. Others, perhaps more fortunate, were quickly executed.
109. SPYHIS_141026_496.JPG: All if not what it seems. A cabinet is not just a cabinet. The wooden cabinet was actually a door that concealed a stairway leading to the prison cells.
110. SPYHIS_141026_506.JPG: "Levity and Passion Have Destroyed Me." A shrewd officer, Alfred Redl became a colonel in the Austrian Army. There, his talent for organization earned him the position as head of espionage operations. But he lived a dangerous double life. Russian agents had discovered his homosexuality and bribed him with men and money in exchange for Austrian military secrets. Eventually, his treason was discovered, and Redl chose to shoot himself rather than be killed by fellow officers.
111. SPYHIS_141026_507.JPG: Secret Police Centuries of Spying Russia has a long tradition of secret police. The Okhrana served the Czar, keeping watch over subversive groups. When the Bolsheviks seized power they created the Cheka, the group responsible for the Red Terror. As the Cheka grew and evolved, it was renamed and reorganized several times, emerging as the NKVD, the MGB and finally, in 1954, the infamous KGB. Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, it has been renamed the Federal Security Service or FSB.
112. SPYHIS_141026_510.JPG: From a Utopian Idea, Seas of Blood A lawyer by profession but a revolutionary at heart, Vladimir Lenin organized the Russian Revolution and founded the Soviet state. With Feliks Dzerzhinsky at his side, he ruled by terror. Lenin's methods marked a new era of the police state, setting the stage for future dictators, including Josef Stalin, Adolf Hitler, and Mao Tse-tung.
113. SPYHIS_141026_518.JPG: Man of Steel, Rule by Terror Russian revolutionary Ioseb Jughashvili took the name Josef Stalin -- "man of steel." Building on the network of spying and terror created by Lenin and Dzerzhinsky, he ruled with an iron fist. During his brutal reign from 1929 to 1953, he put to death some 10 million Soviet citizens suspects of being spies or enemies of the state.
114. SPYHIS_141026_525.JPG: Dzerzhinsky Father of the KGB Under the direction of Lenin, Feliks Dzerzhinsky founded the "Cheka," the secret police responsible for the Red Terror. He learned the ways of terror through years spent in prisons, including the infamous Butyrka Prison. As leader of the Cheka, he applied these rules ruthlessly, overseeing the deaths of more than 200,000 people. A shrewd spymaster, Dzerzhinsky added new levels of sophistication to spy craft, forever changing the face of espionage and counterespionage. His legacy lived on: the Cheka eventually became the KGB, one of the most feared secret police organizations of all time.
115. SPYHIS_141026_529.JPG: The Rise and Fall of a Legendary Spy A Hungarian count, Greek merchant, and a British lord -- all cover identities adopted by the dashing Dmitri Bystrolyotov -- one of the Soviet NKVD's greatest spies. Operating throughout Europe and Africa after WWI, he specialized in recruiting agents with access to diplomatic codes, particularly women he could seduce. In 1938 however, he became a victim of Stalin's "Great Terror," and spent 16 years in the Gulag (forced labor camps). He was released in 1954, a broken man.
116. SPYHIS_141026_537.JPG: Keeping Sane In the Gulag, Bystrolyotov kept his mind creatively engaged. He used iodine from a camp infirmary to extend ink, which was scarce, to write this memoir of his missions in Africa -- his thermal underwear provided the book cover. This self-portrait was done entirely from iodine.
117. SPYHIS_141026_542.JPG: Prize Possessions in the Gulag Bystrolyotov probably bartered for this spoon and cigarette holder, and then decorated them. he sometimes traded lipstick he made from medical supplies for food from female prisoners.
118. SPYHIS_141026_544.JPG: Gloves worn by Bystrolyotov in the Gulag
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