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COLD
WAR MUSEUM
TO HOST A LECTURE AND BOOK
SIGNING RECEPTION FOR TOP-LEVEL CIA AGENT,
ANTONIO MENDEZ, "THE MASTER OF DISGUISE".
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(Fairfax, VA - October 21,
1999): Fans of espionage films and books relish
the moment when the spy drops his disguise
and reveals his true identity. For the first
time ever, the CIA has authorized a top-level
operative, Antonio Mendez - retired Chief
of Disguise, to offer a personal memoir of
international espionage on the front lines.
To kick off the release of the book: THE MASTER
OF DISGUISE: My Secret Life in the CIA, (William
Morrow; $25.00/$37.00 Canada; November 9,
1999), the Cold War Museum will host a book
signing reception on Thursday, November 4
from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The reception will
take place at Old Town Hall, 3999 University
Drive, in the City of Fairfax. In addition
to remarks made by Antonio Mendez, Francis
Gary Powers, Jr., son of the U-2 pilot shot
down over the Soviet Union on May 1, 1960,
will give a brief overview of efforts currently
underway to establish a Cold War Museum in
the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Admission
is free but seating is limited. Autographed
copies of THE MASTER OF DISGUISE: My Secret
Life in the CIA will be available for sale
at the reception.
According to Mendez, amazing disguises aren't
simply the stuff of "Mission Impossible" and
potboilers: they're business as usual in real-world
espionage. In his new book, THE MASTER OF
DISGUISE: My Secret Life in the CIA, Mendez
shares his candid behind-the-scenes account
of his 25-year-career as the CIA's foremost
inventor of disguises. From East Asia to Eastern
Europe to Iran, Mendez tells the startling
tales of technical feats and courageous actions.
THE MASTER OF DISGUISE reveals the tremendous
artistic craft and state-of-the-art techniques
required to forge official documents, create
propaganda, and manufacture convincing disguises
complete with hair pieces, masks, make-up,
and costumes.
Mendez also offers a rare inside look at Agency
politics, leadership, and other operations,
including espionage tradecraft, surveillance,
and cloaking techniques, as well as propaganda
activities from 1965 to 1990. Mendez's creative
talents have earned him the CIA's top honors.
In 1997, as part of the CIA's 50th Anniversary,
he received the Agency's trailblazer award,
a special citation given to the 50 "CIA officers
who by their actions, example, or initiative
helped shape the history of the first half
of the century" of the CIA. In addition, Mendez
was awarded the Agency's Intelligence Star
for Valor after engineering the dramatic rescue
of six Americans from Tehran in 1980.
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