Former CIA museum curator brings tools of the trade to life.
By Donna Manz, The Connection
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
excerpt
. . . Spies learned to create listening devices in the dark, and pigeons became a vital part of the World War II communications effort. GI Joe received a citation and medal for animal gallantry; the pigeons had a 98 percent success rate getting messages to their recipients. Turns out that pigeons have magnetite in their beaks, which allows them to follow magnetic fields. The Maidenform Brassiere Company made specially-designed curved pouches for paratroopers to carry their pigeons. The pigeon portion got rave reviews. Jan Beatey and Fran Snyder, both from Vienna, liked learning about the pigeons the most. . .
