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Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum at the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in McLean, Va. 
\"Inform, Instruct, Inspire\" 
The CIA Museum supports the Agency's operational, recruitment and training missions and helps visitors better understand CIA and its contributions to national security.

National Security

The artifacts of the CIA museum

Not open to the public but displayed inside CIA headquarters are artifacts from decades of intelligence gathering, including drones disguised as insects, a pigeon camera and Osama bin Laden’s AK-47.

/ 28 PHOTOS
Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum at the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in McLean, Va. 
\"Inform, Instruct, Inspire\" 
The CIA Museum supports the Agency's operational, recruitment and training missions and helps visitors better understand CIA and its contributions to national security.

Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum at the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in McLean, Va. \"Inform, Instruct, Inspire\" The CIA Museum supports the Agency's operational, recruitment and training missions and helps visitors better understand CIA and its contributions to national security.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum.
An Al Quaeda training manual.

Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum. An Al Quaeda training manual.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, June 29, 2013, in McClean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum

Members of the armed services wounded in the line of duty as a result of the attacks on September 11, 2001 received the Purple Heart. One of the first awarded in the nations Global War on Terror, this Purple Heart belongs to a naval officer severely burned while on duty at the Pentagon on 9/11. Now recovered, he serves his country as an intelligence office.

Saturday, June 29, 2013, in McClean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum Members of the armed services wounded in the line of duty as a result of the attacks on September 11, 2001 received the Purple Heart. One of the first awarded in the nations Global War on Terror, this Purple Heart belongs to a naval officer severely burned while on duty at the Pentagon on 9/11. Now recovered, he serves his country as an intelligence office.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, June 29, 2013, Langley, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum.

Saturday, June 29, 2013, Langley, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, June 29, 2013, Langley, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum.

Saturday, June 29, 2013, Langley, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum
An AK-47 assault rifle reportedly found near Osama bin Laden during the raid on his compound in Abottabad, Pakistan.

In this detail of the rifle, the serial number and chinese markings appear.

Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum An AK-47 assault rifle reportedly found near Osama bin Laden during the raid on his compound in Abottabad, Pakistan. In this detail of the rifle, the serial number and chinese markings appear.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, June 29, 2013, in McClean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum
Facilities engineers used the Abbottabad Compound model to construct a full scale mock-up of the compound. Special Operations forces trained on the mock-up for the ultimate assault.

Saturday, June 29, 2013, in McClean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum Facilities engineers used the Abbottabad Compound model to construct a full scale mock-up of the compound. Special Operations forces trained on the mock-up for the ultimate assault.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum

Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum
John Makely / NBCNews.com
The Lockheed A-12 OXCART aircraft was developed for the CIA as a reconnaissance aircraft and used to collect intelligence over North Korea and North Vietnam. A CIA A-12 was able to find the USS Pueblo, a Navy intelligence gathering ship that had been seized by the North Korea, in a North Korean port. After 29 missions the planes were replaced by the U.S. Air Force's similar SR-71 program. The plane seen here was recently installed on the CIA grounds. The two stars on the base represent two pilots who were killed during training missions.

The Lockheed A-12 OXCART aircraft was developed for the CIA as a reconnaissance aircraft and used to collect intelligence over North Korea and North Vietnam. A CIA A-12 was able to find the USS Pueblo, a Navy intelligence gathering ship that had been seized by the North Korea, in a North Korean port. After 29 missions the planes were replaced by the U.S. Air Force's similar SR-71 program. The plane seen here was recently installed on the CIA grounds. The two stars on the base represent two pilots who were killed during training missions.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum.

Shrapnel and a section of wing damaged when a surface to air missile exploded near an A-12 Oxcart during a mission over North korea in 1967.

Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum. Shrapnel and a section of wing damaged when a surface to air missile exploded near an A-12 Oxcart during a mission over North korea in 1967.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, June 29, 2013, in McClean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum

Saturday, June 29, 2013, in McClean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum

INSECTOTHOPTER Developed by CIAÕs Office of Research and Development in the 1970s, this micro unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was the first flight of an insect-sized vehicle (insectothopter). It was intended to prove the concept of such miniaturized platforms for intelligence collection.
Insectothopter had a miniature engine to move the wings up and down. A small amount of gas was used to drive the engine, and the excess was vented out the rear for extra thrust. The flight tests were impressive. However, control in any kind of crosswind proved too difficult

Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum INSECTOTHOPTER Developed by CIAÕs Office of Research and Development in the 1970s, this micro unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was the first flight of an insect-sized vehicle (insectothopter). It was intended to prove the concept of such miniaturized platforms for intelligence collection. Insectothopter had a miniature engine to move the wings up and down. A small amount of gas was used to drive the engine, and the excess was vented out the rear for extra thrust. The flight tests were impressive. However, control in any kind of crosswind proved too difficult
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, June 29, 2013, Langley, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum.

Saturday, June 29, 2013, Langley, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum.
n the 1990s, CIAÕs Office of Advanced Technologies created ÒCharlie,Ó a robotic catfish, to study the feasibility of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) and other aquatic robot technologies for intelligence collection purposes.

Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum. n the 1990s, CIAÕs Office of Advanced Technologies created ÒCharlie,Ó a robotic catfish, to study the feasibility of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) and other aquatic robot technologies for intelligence collection purposes.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum.
A \"One Time\" pad, used to send covert messages.

Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum. A \"One Time\" pad, used to send covert messages.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum

The secret transfer of documents became very difficult during the Cold War. Agents relied on the microdot camera to photograph and reduce whole pages of information onto a single tiny piece of film. This piece of film could be embedded into the text of a letter as small as the period at the end of this sentence.

Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum The secret transfer of documents became very difficult during the Cold War. Agents relied on the microdot camera to photograph and reduce whole pages of information onto a single tiny piece of film. This piece of film could be embedded into the text of a letter as small as the period at the end of this sentence.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum.
 It may appear to be an Eisenhower silver dollar, but it is really a concealment device. It was used to hide messages or film so they could be sent secretly. Because it looks like ordinary pocket change, it is almost undetectable.

Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum. It may appear to be an Eisenhower silver dollar, but it is really a concealment device. It was used to hide messages or film so they could be sent secretly. Because it looks like ordinary pocket change, it is almost undetectable.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum.

A compass hidden inside of a coat button.

Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum. A compass hidden inside of a coat button.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Located in the CIA’s New Headquarters Building, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) section of the museum recognizes the work done by the intelligence service created during World War II to run spies and support resistance movements in Axis-controlled areas of Europe and Asia. The OSS was the predecessor of the CIA, which was formed a year after the war.

Located in the CIA’s New Headquarters Building, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) section of the museum recognizes the work done by the intelligence service created during World War II to run spies and support resistance movements in Axis-controlled areas of Europe and Asia. The OSS was the predecessor of the CIA, which was formed a year after the war.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum.

William J. Donovan, Major General of the US Army, Director of the Office of Strategic Services and in wartime disguise , at right.

Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum. William J. Donovan, Major General of the US Army, Director of the Office of Strategic Services and in wartime disguise , at right.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, June 29, 2013, in McClean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum.
The desk of William J. Donovan, Major General of the US Army, Director of the Office of Strategic Services.

Saturday, June 29, 2013, in McClean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum. The desk of William J. Donovan, Major General of the US Army, Director of the Office of Strategic Services.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, June 29, 2013, in McClean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum

Liberator Pistols were designed for widespread distribution to partisan groups during WWII. Underground forces could use it as a close-range, antipersonnel weapon to attack an enemy soldier and relieve him of his more powerful rifle or handgun. This .45 caliber weapon was easy to operate and cost only $1.72 apiece.

Saturday, June 29, 2013, in McClean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum Liberator Pistols were designed for widespread distribution to partisan groups during WWII. Underground forces could use it as a close-range, antipersonnel weapon to attack an enemy soldier and relieve him of his more powerful rifle or handgun. This .45 caliber weapon was easy to operate and cost only $1.72 apiece.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum.
LETTER FROM FUTURE CIA DIRECTOR RICHARD HELMS TO HIS YOUNG SON, WRITTEN ON A SHEET OF HITLERÕS PERSONAL STATIONARY, Dated May 8, 1945 (Victory in Europe Day),  the note began:
ÒDear Dennis, The man who might have written on this card once controlled EuropeÑthree short years ago when you were born. Today he is dead, his memory despised, his country in ruins.Ó

Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum. LETTER FROM FUTURE CIA DIRECTOR RICHARD HELMS TO HIS YOUNG SON, WRITTEN ON A SHEET OF HITLERÕS PERSONAL STATIONARY, Dated May 8, 1945 (Victory in Europe Day), the note began: ÒDear Dennis, The man who might have written on this card once controlled EuropeÑthree short years ago when you were born. Today he is dead, his memory despised, his country in ruins.Ó
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Operation Cornflakes was an OSS mission near the end of World War II that was meant to fool the German postal service into delivering anti-Nazi propaganda to Germans through the mail. The OSS created forged German stamps, as well as a subtle reworking of the 12 pfennig Hitler stamp that showed a skull emerging from Hitler’s face, with the legend “Deutsches Reich” replaced with \"Futsches (Collapsed) Reich.\"

Operation Cornflakes was an OSS mission near the end of World War II that was meant to fool the German postal service into delivering anti-Nazi propaganda to Germans through the mail. The OSS created forged German stamps, as well as a subtle reworking of the 12 pfennig Hitler stamp that showed a skull emerging from Hitler’s face, with the legend “Deutsches Reich” replaced with \"Futsches (Collapsed) Reich.\"
John Makely / NBCNews.com

Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA museum.
VIRGINIA HALL, AMERICAÕS FIRST FEMALE OFFICER
Virginia Hall had a wooden leg, worked as an ambulance driver before the war and In 1944, working in disguise as an old woman farmhand organized & sabotage operations, supported resistance groups as a radio operator and courier, located drop zones for the RAF, and eventually worked with a Jedburgh team to sabotage German military movements.  She managed to avoid capture, despite some close calls.
After France was freed, Hall was trained for an OSS assignment in occupied Vienna, where she had once gone to college; however, the war ended before she could get there. When OSS was abolished at the end of September 1945, Hall stayed on in Europe, working for the follow-on organization, eventually named the Central Intelligence Group (CIG). In 1947, she made the transition to the CIA clandestine service. She received the Distinguished Service Cross Ð the only on

Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA museum. VIRGINIA HALL, AMERICAÕS FIRST FEMALE OFFICER Virginia Hall had a wooden leg, worked as an ambulance driver before the war and In 1944, working in disguise as an old woman farmhand organized & sabotage operations, supported resistance groups as a radio operator and courier, located drop zones for the RAF, and eventually worked with a Jedburgh team to sabotage German military movements. She managed to avoid capture, despite some close calls. After France was freed, Hall was trained for an OSS assignment in occupied Vienna, where she had once gone to college; however, the war ended before she could get there. When OSS was abolished at the end of September 1945, Hall stayed on in Europe, working for the follow-on organization, eventually named the Central Intelligence Group (CIG). In 1947, she made the transition to the CIA clandestine service. She received the Distinguished Service Cross Ð the only on
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA headquarters entrance.

Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA headquarters entrance.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News)

The CIA's Memorial Wall. located in the lobby of the original headquarters building honors the CIA personnel killed in the line of duty.

Saturday, July 29, 2013, in McLean, VA (John Makely / NBC News) The CIA's Memorial Wall. located in the lobby of the original headquarters building honors the CIA personnel killed in the line of duty.
John Makely / NBCNews.com
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