German secret archive shows what spy disguise was like in the old days

You’ve probably watched many movies with stories about spies disguised to infiltrate other countries. But have you ever wondered what these disguises would look like in real life? German artist Simon Menner illustrated it in his book “Top Secret: Images from the Stasi Archives” (“Ultra Secret: Images from the Stasi Archives”, 2013).

• The images were part of the secret files of the Stasi, the intelligence service of the former German Democratic Republic.
• They show how East German agents sneak among people.
• Menner spent two years scanning documents that had until then been kept secret and restricted.
• If disguises today resemble costume parties, then they were very fruitful. The Stasi was one of the most efficient and repressive secret police and intelligence agencies in the world.
• So important before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the institution was dissolved in 1989 and employed 274,000 people.

disguise course

• The photos show the agents during an internal course called “The Art of Disguise.”
• In addition to the common clothes of the period, the spies wore mustaches, hats, sunglasses and wigs.
• The aim was to “simplify the selection of disguises for specific activities to be performed in the field”.
• Disguises were chosen based on the “character” criteria that the spy would interpret.
• Some photos were taken at the birthday party of a senior member of the Stasi.
• The pre-party guidance given to the agents was to disguise them according to demographic groups such as athletes, activists, football players and religious leaders under the agency’s oversight.

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