1997 Factbook on Intelligence

The CIA Exhibit Center is a permanent museum located in the New Headquarters Building that contains a unique collection of artifacts and photographs relating to the history of US intelligence from the Civil War to the present. Special emphasis is placed on memorabilia from the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the predecessor of the CIA, and from the Cold War era. All items exhibited in the Center are authentic--no reproductions are permitted--and have been declassified by the appropriate officials for open viewing. Some of the more interesting artifacts on display include personal effects of Maj. Gen. William J. Donovan, the founder of OSS; several pieces of OSS and early CIA tradecraft; an Enigma cipher machine used by the Germans during World War II; the first flag to fly over the CIA compound; a 300-pound piece of the Berlin Wall; a variety of spy cameras; and several items used during Operation Desert Storm.