VIDEOS
Vlad Duthiers visits the International Spy Museum's "Bond in Motion" exhibit, featuring 17 iconic vehicles from the Bond films. Former CIA Chief of Disguise Jonna Mendez and intelligence expert Chris Costa share their experiences and reveal real-life spy gadgets.
CNN | Global Public Square with Fareed Zakaria interviews Jonna Mendez as she shares stories from her exhilarating 27-year career and how she helped break the agency's glass ceiling. Learn more in Jonna’s newest book, “In True Face: A Woman’s Life in the CIA: Unmasked.”
The Jennifer Hudson Show | Former CIA chief of disguise Jonna Mendez opens up about mastering clandestine disguises in some of the world’s most perilous cities. Jonna shares some of the stories from her memoir, “In True Face,” which recounts her career as a female operations officer in the CIA, where she served from 1966 to 1993.
ABC NEWS interviews Jonna Mendez about the International Spy Museum’s new James Bond Exhibit. Learn more in Jonna’s newest book, “In True Face: A Woman’s Life in the CIA: Unmasked.”
For 27 years, Jonna Mendez had one of the most illustrious and dangerous jobs on the planet: serving as a CIA agent. She is now sharing her journey, or what she can safely share about her journey, in her newest book, “In True Face: A Woman’s Life in the CIA: Unmasked.”
With over 27 years of experience in the CIA, including serving as the Chief of Disguise, Jonna Mendez has stories that would be fitting of a James Bond film. Her new book, In True Face, A Woman’s Life In The CIA, Unmasked, gives a firsthand look at exactly what it was like to be one of America’s top spies.
Former CIA Chief of Disguise Jonna Mendez talks about some of the tactics, gadgets and disguises CIA operatives used in the field during the Cold War.
[Video recording] We love sorting out fact and fiction in spy movies at the Spy Museum. But how about when Hollywood stars are the spies? Join us tonight for some unusual celebrity gossip at this virtual happy hour! We’ll tell you some of our favorite stories about operatives who loved the limelight more than the shadows—your mission: shake up the perfect cocktail or mocktail.
Meet Jonna Mendez, the former CIA Chief of Disguise (a real job!). During her tenure, Mendez oversaw the equipment used by spies to conceal their identities, including a five-second mask, which had been inspired by Hollywood. The technology, developed over a period of 10 years, allowed for facial movement—and, unlike its cinematic counterparts, which required hours in the makeup chair, it could be put on and removed at a moment’s notice. Listen to Mendez explain the ins and outs of this unique piece of spy technology.
"Did I ever sleep with someone to get intelligence?" Jonna Mendez can't stand films about female spies. The reason? She was a real one.
In November 1979, 53 American employees of the U.S. Embassy in Iran were taken hostage by Islamic revolutionaries. Six diplomats managed to escape, but getting out of the country seemed impossible. Enter CIA officer Tony Mendez, who used inspiration from Hollywood to school six frightened diplomats in the art of assuming false identities and pulled off a bold rescue mission during one of the darkest moments in American foreign policy history.
As a retired CIA intelligence officer with 27 years of service, her career comprised of multiple under cover assignments. She joined the CIA’s Office of Technical Service (OTS) in early 1970, (often compared to “Q” Branch in the 007 movies), holding the position of Chief of Disguise. She also worked closely with her husband in writing Argo and Moscow Rules. Jonna is a founding board member at the International Spy Museum.
Legendary spy power couple Jonna and Tony Mendez met while working for the CIA in the Soviet Union, building the tools of espionage: the disguise kit, the camera that could hide anywhere, the cyanide pen. There they followed guidelines they called the "Moscow Rules" -- now the name of a new book they co-wrote before Tony's death. Jonna Mendez talks with Nick Schifrin about their work and mission.
What makes a good disguise? According to Jonna Mendez, the CIA's former chief of disguise, it's about more than cosmetology.
Jonna Mendez, the fomer CIA Chief of Disguise sits down with Patrick Bet-David to talk about her life in the CIA.
Join us for a conversation with a real-life spy about her experiences as a covert operative and her role in the advancement of the American intelligence strategy that helped America win the Cold War.
Join Jonna for the launch of the Mendez’s new book THE MOSCOW RULES Tactics That Helped America Win the Cold War, where she and her late husband Tony tell the story of the intelligence breakthrough that turned the odds in America’s favor.
The Moscow Rules book talk by author Jonna Mendez at the Spy Museum on CSPAN BookTV
Morning Joe with Willie Geist
CBS NEWSIn 1777, Gen. George Washington established the country's first spy network to take on the British during the Revolutionary War. That is where America's spy story begins, but the $162 million International Spy Museum, in Washington, D.C., is re-imagining what spycraft looks like today.
THE WASHINGTON POSTThe familiar sleek lines of James Bond’s Aston Martin greet visitors in the modern glass lobby of the new International Spy Museum, a welcome nod to the institution’s entertaining roots. But suspended overhead is an Amber Drone, precursor of the CIA’s remotely piloted Predator aircraft and an early clue that the new version brings a little edge to the fun and games.