Umbrellas that can shoot or spray poison, pistols hidden in gloves, watering cans that take secret photos...during the Cold War, spies on both sides were not only ruthless, but resourceful, too. Every secret service had a technical department, which knew no limits when it came to inventing deadly tricks.
Poisoning, shooting, stabbing, eavesdropping or observing - they researched and developed and tried not to be seen by their enemy. Everyone knows the legendary character "Q” from the James Bond films, the quirky and brilliant inventor on behalf of His Majesty, who equips 007 with the necessary - and sometimes, completely useless - gadgets for his missions. Sometimes, screenwriters were inspired by real spies - and vice versa. After attending a movie, legend has it that a CIA chief once asked his technology department to send him detailed descriptions of what he had just seen on screen.
The Berlin Spy Museum exhibits some of the tricks practiced by spies. Wire-tapped jacket buttons, calculators that can program code, shoes that hide microfilm - to name just a few. Arts Unveiled explores espionage inventions during the Cold War. And we meet 007 Ost - a former East German agent - and chat about his profession in an exclusive interview.
Astonishing insights into the cruelest, most unlikely, and most elegant tools of murder and wiretapping - mischievousness with deadly consequences. And some fantasy products that were never used...