Curator Q&A: The International Spy Museum
By Maura McCarthy
washingtonpost.com Staff Writer
Monday, August 4, 2003
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International Spy Museum
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Photo Gallery: Museum Highlights
The launch of a new museum is a daunting task. When the Malrite Corporation founded the International Spy Museum in January 2000, it had no objects in the collection. But the private company that helped organize the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame did have Kathleen Coakley.
Drawing on her background in art and education at the Cleveland Museum of Art and her experience as director of public art programs for the city of Cleveland, Malrite's vice president of exhibition development coordinated a team of curators, researchers, designers and architects. Together they opened the new and favorably received museum in June 2002.
Name three objects no visitor to your institution should miss.
1. One is the very first object we acquired -- the German enigma machine. It's such an interesting part of our history; yet the existence of the program and the cracking of the code were not revealed until the 1970s. Today the piece looks like an old adding machine, but one realizes the engineering that went into its construction and the brilliance of the code breakers. My thoughts leap to Britain's Bletchley Park and the efforts to break the German code again and again. The eccentric geniuses that were recruited and all the young men and women who worked there -- nearly 10,000 at the end of the war -- knew the balance of the war was hanging over them and they saved thousands of lives.
2. Our display of listening devices -- especially those from the Cold War -- really shows the ingenuity of both sides in planting, finding and improving upon these "bugs." One that I love is a drain pipe bug that was installed in the Russian Embassy. The bug fit inside a drain pipe in an ingenious setup that included a remote device, tiny explosive and mini parachute that carried the wire down the drain and out to the sewer where it was picked up for listening.
3. Because the museum blends pop culture and history, I would choose our Aston Martin DB5, the quintessential spy car. As an artifact it is so beautiful and it is great to see it loaded as it was in the "Goldfinger" movie -- with rotating license plate, tire shredders, bullet-proof shield and an oil slick that runs out the back.
Which object is your personal favorite and why?
Objects are just one part of our collection. One of my favorite displays in the museum is a film about a Spaniard -- code-named "Garbo." During World War II, he was a double agent whose brave and brilliant deceptions helped the allies with the D-Day invasion. He so convinced the Germans he was running an imaginary ring of spies that they awarded him the Iron Cross. After the war, the allies were concerned for his safety and helped him fake his own death. Garbo attended the 40th anniversary celebration of the D-Day invasion unannounced and was recognized and celebrated by others there.
Which object do you wish was on display, but is not?
I would love to have the Aston Martin DB7 that was just used in the James Bond film "Die Another Day." Instead of a machine gun drop down like the DB-5, this one has a nuclear arsenal out the front of the car.
What is your dream acquisition for the collection?
I might go back to Bletchley Park. They have boxes of index cards full of handwritten notes taken in codebreaking efforts -- such incredible record-keeping and matching of files to gather intelligence.
What is the most unusual object in your collection -- something people are surprised to find there?
Many people think the world of spying is male, so I love the aspects that have to do with women. A film we have on display features two women from the team that caught convicted spy Aldrich Ames. Sandy Grimes, one of the women in the film, remarks that Ames never suspected a couple of broads would find him out, but they did. Sometimes stereotypes can work to one's advantage.
What is your favorite museum in Washington other than your own?
There are so many, but I do love Dumbarton Oaks -- the garden and the collection. And it was in those gardens that Jonathan Pollard handed over secrets before he was convicted of espionage.
Give us a great reason to visit your institution.
Well, today more than ever the museum gives people a deeper understanding of the importance of collecting intelligence at every level. It is vital to our own security to know as much as we can about the world that we live in.
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