The Secret History Of Espionage On Display In Philadelphia

My piece in Counterterrorism magazine on the spy artifacts exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Spy: The Secret World of Espionage, came out yesterday.

Charlie the Catfish, the Drop Dead Rat, the Beano Grenade and an umbrella that shoots cyanide pellets are spy gadgets one might expect to find in the prop department of a James Bond film.

But these items and more than 200 others are true historical artifacts on display at the Franklin Institute's newest exhibition, "Spy: The Secret World of Espionage."

The exhibit opened in May and visitors can see artifacts from the CIA, the FBI and the National Reconnaissance Office, as well as from the private collection of intelligence historian and author H. Keith Melton.

You can read the piece below:

And below is a photo of H. Keith Melton and photos from the exhibit:

Note: You can click on the above to enlarge.