Try topping this one next time you throw a sleepover for the kids. The International Spy Museum in D.C. is putting together Operation Secret Slumber, and they’re in search (very quietly) of a few good volunteers. This mission is a one-weekend affair. Recruits have to be between the ages of 9 and 13, and there has to be one adult for every two KidSpy Agents. The good news is, neither you nor your one-time agent will have to get a security clearance.
Kids will, however, have to come up with an airtight cover story and alias. That’s a given. Then comes the training, the better to prepare everyone for the shadows that lie ahead over the evening of Saturday, Oct. 13 through Sunday, Oct. 14. (Shush, don’t tell anyone about the dates). Be there at 19:00 hours and don’t expect to leave before 10:00 hours the following morning (for the uninitiated, that’s 7pm and 10am respectively). The nature of this mission is so secret that you can’t register over the Internet. Call this coded number: 1-202-654-0933.
Another clandestine mission on the menu for 10.13.12? The museum can still help you conjure up a cover story. The exhibit Covers and Legends is a year-round fixture, challenging all who enter the museum to adopt a cover identity, memorize the details and understand the importance of always maintaining that cover.
Cover assimilated, it’s on to the School for Spies. That’s where you’ll learn about microdots, invisible ink, buttonhole cameras, bugs and disguises – the stuff that goes into making spy tradecraft essential. This exhibit too is open all year.
Cover and tradecraft are essential, but it helps to put them in context. The Secret History of History provides precisely that, uncovering the stories about famous men and women who doubled as spies throughout the ages. A lot of the names may surprise you.
It’s no surprise at all the International Spy Museum is one of Washington’s top attractions.
(Image: NCinDC)
