Established June 2002 (2002-06) Address McLean, VA 22101, USA | Location Langley, Virginia | |
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Website www.cia.gov/about-cia/cia-museum Similar International Spy Museum, CIA Memorial Wall, National Cryptologic Museum, Splash Down Waterpark, Forest Hill Park | ||
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The CIA Museum, administered by the Center for the Study of Intelligence, is a national archive for the collection, preservation, documentation and exhibition of intelligence artifacts, culture, and history. The collection, which currently numbers 3,500 items, is held in trust for the American people. Because the museum is not open to the public, the CIA Museum develops public exhibitions in partnership with the Presidential Libraries and other major museums and institutions in order to promote a wider understanding of the craft of intelligence and its role in the broader American experience. The National Cryptologic Museum, which is open to the public in Annapolis Junction, Maryland, is the NSA counterpart to the CIA Museum and focuses on cryptology as opposed to human intelligence. These two museums serve as the primary government museums for the collection and preservation in the United States Intelligence Community.
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The collection
The CIA Museum's scope of collection includes material associated with all activities of the CIA's predecessor, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), material associated with activities of foreign intelligence organizations, and material associated with the history and mission of the Central Intelligence Agency. Articles in the Museum Collection include clothing, equipment, weapons, and memorabilia and insignia designed, manufactured, or used by intelligence organizations historically and presently. The Collection also includes unique items such as weapons, clothing and equipment developed specifically through research and development, or manufactured by units or individuals to further the mission of intelligence operations. The museum also displays Osama bin Laden's AK-47.
Exhibits
The CIA Museum currently maintains three exhibits of important historical intelligence artifacts at CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia Dedicated in June 2002 to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Office of Strategic Services, the CIA Museum's North Gallery houses an exhibit devoted to preserving the legacy CIA inherited from the OSS. The exhibit displays personal memorabilia from Major General William J. Donovan, the founder of the Office of Strategic Services, examples of OSS equipment; and a German "Enigma" enciphering machine from World War II. The Cold War Gallery was established in collaboration with collector and historian H. Keith Melton in [1997]. "The Cold War: Fifty Years of Silent Conflict" showcases many of the 7,000 clandestine espionage artifacts from the United States, the former Soviet Union, and East Germany, which comprise the world's largest private collection of spy gear. "Analysis Informing American Policy", located in the Fine Arts Exhibit Hall, celebrates the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Directorate of Intelligence (1952).