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Enigma machines from World War II encrypted and decoded messages.A pigeon with a spy camera on display at the C.I.A. Museum. Shutterstock.com (spy)Michael Ventura/Alamy Stock Photo (vode-breaking machine); Doug Mills/The New York Times (pigeon);
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Unveiling Spy Secrets
Ever wonder how spies do their jobs? The Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) and the National Security Agency (N.S.A.) have completely renovated their spycraft museums, offering a glimpse into their mysterious inner workings. The C.I.A. Museum features gadgets and disguises used for missions. The exhibits remain off-limits to the public, as they’re on the C.I.A.’s heavily protected campus in Langley, Virginia, but the museum is starting to share its artifacts online. The N.S.A.’s showcase, which focuses on electronic communications, is open to all in Annapolis Junction, Maryland. There, visitors will find code-making and code-breaking machines, such as the one that figured out the German naval codes during World War II. In addition to celebrating successes, both museums acknowledge some failures over the years, a fact that’s especially important to Robert Byer, director of the C.I.A. Museum. “I feel I have a responsibility: It cannot be a rah-rah version of history,” he says. “Museums need to tell the truth.”