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CNN Live At Daybreak

Spy Museum Opens in Washington Tomorrow

Aired July 18, 2002 - 06:35   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Here is a story about spies that is not shrouded in secrecy. We can tell you that the International Spy Museum opens in Washington tomorrow, and our own operative, Elaine Quijano, has already snooped around a little bit. She is back for a debriefing -- good morning. Did you bring back any secret photographs for us?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. You know what? I do have some. We did a little recon mission, and I'm going to show those to you in just a minute.

But first, I can tell you, workers are putting on the finishing touches here at the International Spy Museum. There are some 200 exhibits on display, including this replica -- check this out. This, if it looks familiar, was in the 1964 film. We first saw this in "Goldfinger," James Bond's famous, of course, Aston Martin.

Now, this is a fictional vehicle, but there are dozens of other real-life spy devices, and we got a sneak peak.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): It's a glimpse into a secret world most of us have never known.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a chance to be a voyeur.

QUIJANO: A world of disguise, of intrigue, kept mostly under wraps until now. Washington, D.C.'s $40 million International Spy Museum, the first public museum of its kind, uncovers some of the tools of the trade in the dangerous world of espionage.

Items once thought to be the stuff of Hollywood now revealed as actual spy equipment, bugging devices concealed in a picture frame, cameras small enough to wear on your wrist, and an actual 22-caliber single-shot pistol the size of a cigarette.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This should be an immersive experience, not something dried.

QUIJANO: You can do your own snooping with hands-on exhibits unveiling spying techniques, allowing you to assume an identity, or a cover as it's officially known, and taking you through espionage 101. The museum also sheds light on the art of disguise. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What the intelligence community needs in terms of a disguise is something that goes on in 30 seconds, and it's something in theory that you can put on in a car without a mirror, and something that you can take off just as easily.

QUIJANO: All of it just a sneak peak into a world where everything is not as it seems.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And here now is a live look about two floors down from where I am standing right now at a recreation of the Berlin Tunnel operation. The real project was actually completed in 1955. It was a way or intended to be a way for Americans to tap into underground Soviet phone lines. Well, the Soviets found out, and the operation was not as successful as they had hoped.

By the way, as the finishing touches are now being put into place and put on here at the Spy Museum, I can tell you that the official opening takes place tomorrow morning, and they've got a whole elaborate celebration planned. We saw a little bit of that yesterday, some folks repelling down the side of the building here. So it's sure to be quite the show.

We're live in Washington. I am Elaine Quijano -- Catherine, back to you.

CALLAWAY: Elaine, you know the spies have to escape in a daring fashion.

QUIJANO: That's right.

CALLAWAY: It looked like Maxwell Smart's shoe they had on display there. It was a real -- what was it, a phone in the shoe?

QUIJANO: It was a heel transmitter. Apparently, this is the way that Soviets actually used technology. They would put this heel transmitter to listen in on events that were taking place. So it was a very clandestine way of getting some listening devices in, and it is something right out of Hollywood.

CALLAWAY: Yes, it is.

QUIJANO: It sounds like something Maxwell Smart would certainly use -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right. Thank you, Elaine. Have fun at the museum.

QUIJANO: Thanks.

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