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3w ago

MI5's 'Official Secrets' Exhibition Offers Rare Glimpse Into Spy Agency's 115-Year History

The National Archives in London will host the exhibit, showcasing declassified records, espionage artifacts, and key moments in MI5's evolution starting April 5, 2025.

A document containing names of original members of the British Security Intelligence Service is displayed, which forms part of ‘MI5: Official Secrets’, a new exhibition exploring the history of the British intelligence agency, at The National Archives in London, Britain, April 1, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville
A photograph of British Girl Guides from 1918, who were deployed to help MI5 during World War One is displayed, which forms part of ‘MI5: Official Secrets’, a new exhibition exploring the history of the British intelligence agency, at The National Archives in London, Britain, April 1, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville
A telephone used by central government and intelligence departments during World War Two is displayed, and forms part of ‘MI5: Official Secrets’, a new exhibition exploring the history of the British intelligence agency, at The National Archives in London, Britain, April 1, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville
An employee poses as she views a D-Day landings decoy routes map and photographs of suspected spies which form part of ‘MI5: Official Secrets’, a new exhibition exploring the history of the British intelligence agency, at The National Archives in London, Britain, April 1, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Overview

  • The exhibition features a 110-year-old lemon used by World War I German spy Karl Muller to write invisible-ink messages, leading to his conviction and execution in 1915.
  • Artifacts include compact spy cameras, microdots, and a briefcase abandoned by Soviet double agent Guy Burgess, alongside records on the infamous Cambridge Spies.
  • MI5's World War II successes, such as deceiving Hitler about the Allied invasion location, and its failures, including underestimating fascism in the 1930s, are prominently highlighted.
  • The exhibit reflects MI5's evolving transparency, with a focus on gender roles and the agency's shift from counterespionage to counterterrorism in recent decades.
  • Key items on display include a mortar shell fired by the Irish Republican Army at 10 Downing Street in 1991 and a 1945 report challenging stereotypes about female agents.