Is this a man or a woman? Its actually a woman disguised as a man. The woman pictured here is a former CIA Master of Disguise – Joanne Mendez – who is rumored to have helped in the creation of the disguise kit still in use today by operatives of the CIA Clandestine Service called the “Dagger.”
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is rumored to use a quick disguise kit called the “Dagger”, the contents of which reportedly fit into a small paper bag.
The kit, it is rumoured can completely transform a person in less than 5 minutes, to the point you could never recognize them.
Oddly enough the Dagger kit is said to contain “no make-up” – its exact contents even today are classified secret.
So what is involved in a good disguise?
Many different things, you might not ordinarily think about…
The trick, according to one agent is to imagine a memo being written about the officer following an in-person meeting — then create a disguise that would render every detail in that memo incorrect.
“In the field, every agent knows that a lot of people they meet would try to describe them later, so they want as many things as possible in that description to be wrong: height, weight, hair color, moles, piercing, tattoos, scars, wrinkles”, said one master of disguise for the CIA during an interview (see article: Unmasked! Meet the CIA’s real mistress of disguise http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1335097/Unmasked-Meet-CIAs-real-mistress-disguise.html#ixzz2154R4ip7 ).
Depending on the mission the CIA can even disguise an agent’s gender and ethnicity.
“There is important things you need to keep in mind about disguises. First off the disguise really has to fit into the context that you’re using it otherwise it will do nothing more than draw unwanted attention to yourself”, said one spy, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
“You also have to play the role so to speak. What I mean by that is if your disguising someone who is young as an old man, for example, that person has to walk and move and act convincingly like an old man, in order to make it work. It’s much more involved than simply donning a hat, wig, fake mustache and dark sunglasses. To a certain extent you have to be a good actor and assume the role of your disguise. ” he explained.
“What you’re trying to do basically is take advantage of the population at large, particularly those who are not interesting, and pick one that you could blend into”, he added.
Like legends and covers a disguise kit is just one of many tools the CIA uses to accomplish its mission.
Depending, of course, on the type of mission disguises range from the simple to the elaborate.
Remember nothing is as it seems or appears to be in the spy game.
Tony and Jonna Mendez are former Central Intelligence Agency Chiefs of Disguise. Watch here as they give this spy a new disguise: Spy disguise 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75kWKbpIs78
See also “Scott Disguise” video produced by the International Spy museumhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=m3S1HRguqSE