COLD WAR SPY GEAR - THE COOLEST SPY GEAR FROM THE COLD WAR ERA
Throughout human history, surveillance and spy technology have always been at the forefront of military expansion. Countries spy on each other and frequently develop new and innovative spy tech. Knowing what other countries were up to has, and always will be, crucial for national safety.
And that's precisely what happened during the Cold War, as the United States and the former Soviet Union squared off against one another while developing the world's deadliest technology: The Nuclear Bomb!
Spy gadgets can hide secret messages, collect intelligence, or even develop and communicate a secret code. In the following article, we'll examine some of the most extraordinary spy gear used during the Cold War era, when KGB and CIA spies faced off, allowing them to keep an eye on their enemies.
POISONED UMBRELLA (BULGARIAN UMBRELLA)
Known ubiquitously as the Bulgarian Umbrella, this ultra-lethal weapon was designed to look exactly like a regular umbrella but with deadly capabilities hidden inside.
The Bulgarian Umbrella, also known as the poisoned umbrella, was designed so that spies could use it as a dart gun, loaded with poisoned darts, to neutralize their enemies at close range. The umbrella gun is an excellent espionage tool because it doesn't draw attention, but it can be used quickly and easily, even in stressful situations.
HIDDEN RING CAMERAS
It's a little-known fact that shaking hands was often used to see if another person was armed, something that's primarily useful during times of war and social espionage. So, what better way to keep an eye on your enemy than by using a hidden ring camera?
An undercover agent could use this crafty device to obtain audio or video surveillance of potential threats while keeping the camera hidden in plain sight on an agent's ring finger.
Be James Bond! Cameras Disguised As A Watch
LONG RANGE CAMERAS
Ever since the first telescopes and lenses were made, they've represented an ideal way to keep an eye on one's enemies. However, during the Cold War, putting those same telescopic lenses into cameras was a game-changer for spies on both sides of the fence. Long-range cameras could be used to collect surveillance of one's enemy movements without them even knowing that they were being watched.
See Related: Night Vision Hidden Cameras
BRIEFCASE CAMERA
During the Cold War, meetings were often used as a time when one was able to get their enemies to confess a particular piece of confidential information accidentally.
However, capturing that information on video needed to be done without the other guy knowing. The briefcase camera was the perfect tool for collecting much-needed evidence about the enemy while meeting them to discuss Soviet politics over a friendly cup of coffee. Intelligence officers could easily switch on the camera without broadcasting their intentions to the world.
See Related: WIFI-Equipped Hidden Cameras
CIGARETTE CASE CAMERA
Image CIA Museum
Because of the nature of confidential information, it was often necessary to hide cameras or bugging devices in ordinary, everyday objects. Back in the day, virtually everyone, from the dog to the cat, smoked cigarettes.
Therefore, the cigarette case camera was the perfect weapon and an innocuous tool allowing agents to keep a surveillance camera nearby without anything looking strange or out of place.
See Related: Cameras Disguised As A Key Fob
SILENCED .22 PISTOL
As a small-caliber pistol, the silenced .22 pistol was the ultimate secret weapon for neutralizing bad guys without alerting the whole neighborhood to your presence.
Although a .22 will by no means pack a punch from long range, secret agents often used this silent weapon to pepper an enemy from close range while keeping everything on the down-low.
PIGEON CAMERA
Image CIA Museum
As a bird known for being easy to train and always eager to return to wherever its nest is, the pigeon was often used by the CIA and KGB during the Cold War.
As soon as the United States and Soviet Union could get their hands on camera technology small enough, they began strapping them to pigeons and using the birds for their dirty reconnaissance work. Of course, pigeons are always unpredictable, but you better believe that a great deal of information has been collected using pigeon cameras.
See Related: Spy Recorders
BROOCH CAMERAS AND BUTTON CAMERAS
One of the best ways to get a point-of-view shot of your enemy and those around you is by strapping a camera directly to your chest. However, when you're looking for top-secret information, a camera strapped to your chest isn't exactly subtle.
Thus, the brooch and button camera were designed to help spies capture that perfect face shot of the bad guy! How nice would it be to set the camera running and not worry a bit about it until you needed to review the footage?
See Related: Hidden Pen Camera
RADIO RECEIVER PIPE
Image CIA Museum
Once again, smoking was used by the CIA, KGB, and other spy agencies to hide bugs and capture evidence.
Some reports believe these agencies would implant tiny radio receivers in smoking pipes, allowing secret agents to communicate with their cohorts without drawing too much attention.
See Related: WIFI Key Chain Spy Camera
.38 GLOVE PISTOL
In an era of mistrust, secret agents found it challenging to conceal a weapon for their safety.
That was, of course, until Stanley M. Haight designed the Sedgley OSS.38 glove pistol at the height of the Cold War. Spies now held the power to neutralize their enemies in the palm of their hands.d.
SPY SHOE WITH TRANSMITTER
During the Cold War, technology was already getting smaller and smaller. But it was still hard to conceal an entire radio transmitter device on a person without making it evident to the people in their vicinity.
Fortunately, the Spy Shoe transmitter made it easy for agents to carry a radio transmitter deep into enemy territory discreetly.
LIPSTICK GUN
Most often used by female spies and secret agents during the Cold War, the Lipstick Gun was designed to look exactly like a woman's red lipstick container, except with the hidden secret that it concealed a fully loaded pistol round, ready to shoot.
Spies could easily offer their enemy their lipstick for a touch-up. Then, well, let's say that her lipstick wouldn't be the only thing turning red. Just make sure not to get your lipstick gun mixed up with your regular shade of red.
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