Spies, Lies and Deception review: a 'blockbuster' at Imperial War Museum

Exhibition examines the role of real-life spies and military deception throughout history

Spies, Lies and Deception at Imperial War Museum London
Russian troops spot a BRIXMIS team photographing them
(Image credit: Imperial War Museum)

From Ian Fleming to John le Carré and beyond, spying and deception have provided endlessly fertile ground for writers of fiction, said Matt Withers in The New European. The "real world of espionage", however, is no less fascinating than the fictional one. This "blockbuster" exhibition at the Imperial War Museum examines the role of real-life spies and military deception from the First World War to the present day, bringing to light a wealth of true stories through around 150 fascinating, often improbable, exhibits. 

From "a fountain pen capable of firing a jet of tear gas" and "lipstick containing a hidden subminiature camera", to a 1980s boombox embedded with KGB surveillance equipment, the exhibition is packed with "scarcely believable" objects. It is a "remarkable" event, which shows that "while methods change, state-level deception lives on". 

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