The International Spy Museum is already well known for being one of the most entertaining and educational museums in the District. Recently, the museum added a spectacular new exhibit and, once again, raised the bar on what a museum experience should be.
"The Enemy Within" explores the history of terrorism within the borders of the United States. The 45-minute, self-guided audio tour begins with events that took place during the Revolutionary War, such as the attempted Loyalist kidnapping of George Washington, and the War of 1812.
The exhibit features nine major events in which American safety was threatened on its own soil: the burning of the White House and the sack of Washington, D.C. by the British in 1814, the explosion of a munitions depot in New York Harbor by German saboteurs during World War I, anarchist mail bombs sent to prominent Americans in 1919, the history and evolution of the Ku Klux Klan in America (specifically their parade of 30,000 members down Pennsylvania Avenue in 1925), Americans helping a downed Japanese pilot take hostages on a Hawaiian island after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the second "Red" Scare after World War II, the explosion of a bomb inside the Capitol building by radical groups in 1971, and the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, and Sept. 11, 2001.
"The Enemy Within" features fantastic audio commentary and engaging visuals. There are clips of films, excerpts of speeches, declassified government documents from the Cold War era and countless historical artifacts, including fragments of the planes that hit the Twin Towers. The exhibit space itself is in the same modern, open style as the permanent exhibit at the Spy Museum, and with many of the same hands-on features for which the museum has become famous.
This exhibit also has the important feature of timeliness. After 9/11, some Americans believed this was the first time in the nation's history that foreign attackers had been able to challenge Americans' safety. In the aftermath of such a tragedy, some turn to the history books to see if there was any indication that this is not an isolated incident. While there has never been a single event on American soil like 9/11, it is obvious that many smaller and similar events have partly shaped this nation's history.
But "The Enemy Within" resists the temptation to play out again and again the horrifying images of 9/11. In fact, 9/11 is used more as a frame of reference for how our world has changed and how terrorism continues to be a threat, than as a means of traumatizing the audience. The 9/11 factor is far more muted than one might expect, and this is greatly appreciated. No one wants to come out of the Spy Museum sobbing.
The starkest of all the sections is the one devoted to the Ku Klux Klan, which the exhibit refers to as "the oldest terrorist organization in the United States." The Klansmen's robes on display are chilling and disturbing, as are the graphic photographs and file footage of Klan activities in the 1920s and 1930s. This is a very dark reminder that the enemy is sometimes very much within, and that some of the worst atrocities committed against Americans have been by other Americans.
The section does not, however, hoist any blame on anyone other than the Klan and those who were complicitly neutral to their activities. It is saddening and disturbing nonetheless, and not recommended for all patrons.
Overall, the exhibit refrains from proselytizing. It does not offer a social commentary on the events it displays; it merely offers the facts and allows the viewer to come to his or her own conclusions. In fact, the Gallup Organization consulted with the Spy Museum on the creation of this exhibit and provided content and questions for the interactive surveys that appear throughout various sections. "The Enemy Within" is a highly entertaining way to learn some history, without having to work very hard.
There is discounted admission for college students to both the museum and "The Enemy Within." College admission to the museum costs $12, to "The Enemy Within" by itself is $5, and a combined ticket for both is $16. The museum is open 10 a.m. - 8 p.m., but last admission for the permanent exhibition is 6 p.m., for "The Enemy Within" is 6:45 p.m. and for combined tickets is 4:45 p.m. The museum is located on F Street near the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro stop on the Red Line. For more information visit www.spymuseum.org.
