Jackson Pollock’s drip paintings. The B-2 stealth bomber. A poisoned-tipped umbrella. In the clandestine world of espionage, artifacts hide intriguing secrets. This week, as our SPYSCAPE Podcast Network launches A History of the World in Spy Objects, we reveal the secrets that shaped global events and the artistry and spycraft that left an indelible mark on history.
The CIA secretly funded Abstract Expressionist art during the Cold War as proof of America’s creative power but US spies couldn’t have chosen a more unlikely venture. Many of the artists were ex-communists and hostile to the government. Artist Daniel Arsham and podcast host Alice Loxton share the surprising secret history of Jackson Pollock’s 1949 masterpiece, Number 8, in A History of the World in Spy Objects.*
The CIA secretly financed Animal Farm as a propaganda film to fight communism. You can buy original artworks from the film now.
Fusing art, politics, and espionage, each artwork comprises a pencil drawing and a hand painted animation ‘cel’ - iconic pieces of cinematic history acquired by SPYSCAPE directly from the filmmakers.
Georgi Markov's tragic end came with a surreptitious stab in the thigh with the venomous tip of a poisoned umbrella. Few assassinations are as audacious as the 1978 murder of the émigré Bulgarian writer who was attacked on London’s Waterloo Bridge. The weapon? Ricin poisoning delivered via a tiny platinum pellet fired from the tip of the mysterious man's umbrella - at least, that’s the official story.
The B-2 Spirit is the ultimate long-range strike bomber, an engineering marvel that looks more like a Star Wars X-wing Starfighter than a Cold War relic. It is the pinnacle of bomber excellence - a silent, unstoppable force. We've dug up 10 astonishing B-2 secrets, including its record on the longest air combat mission in history and behind-the-scenes tales from Hollywood’s Armageddon to Captain Marvel.
Napoleon's postmaster hand-delivered the emperor's prized leather portfolio each morning, brimming with foreign news, gossip, and reports from Black Chamber’s mail-monitoring spies. Codebreakers deciphered, copied, and resealed the post for delivery later that day. As the Cabinet Noir's spying endured throughout Napoleon's reign, letter writers adopted ingenious methods to outsmart France's postal spies.
In the high-stakes drama of WWII, the Germans relied on Enigma machines to relay coded submarine positions. The rotating rotors and intricate electrical pathways created a seemingly unbreakable code for cryptanalysts like Alan Turing. Yet, the Enigma story is also one of America’s dramatic capture of German sub U-505, and the vital role played by US Navy codebreakers at Unit OP-20-G.
In a quiet corner of southern England, an imposing manor known as ‘The Frythe’ underwent a chilling metamorphosis during WWII - from a stately mansion to Station IX. Britain transformed the estate into a Q-inspiring laboratory to produce gadgets and guns. The Welbike was precisely what Special Operations Executive spies needed to set Europe ablaze and shift the balance against the Nazis on D-Day.
At SPY HQ you’ll explore hidden worlds, break codes, run surveillance and spot liars - while a system developed with MI6 experts reveals your personal spy role and profile.
