The CIA Once Spent $20 Million on a Cat as a Spy: Was It Successful?
Throughout the 20th century, intelligence agencies around the world considered animals a viable means for covert infiltration into locations that individuals could not access, to carry messages or listening devices.
At that time, there were two promising “candidates”: cats and pigeons.
Spy Cats
According to National Geographic, during the Cold War, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) faced a persistent challenge: the ability to access information sources. Each situation required its own solution.
In the 1960s, the CIA invested approximately $20 million in the Acoustic Kitty project to create the world’s first spy cat – (Photo: VINCENT J. MUSI/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC).
For instance, how could a spy be placed inside the living and working environment of a foreign head of state, someone who only mingled with close confidants and beloved cats?
At this point, the CIA considered using cats as spies and launched a project called Acoustic Kitty with an investment of up to $20 million over five years.
Acoustic Kitty was a cat that underwent minor surgery, during which a small microphone was inserted into its pointed ear. This created a natural funnel for sound connection. Subsequently, they connected the microphone to a battery placed under the cat’s soft skin, which linked to an external antenna attached to the cat’s long fur.
This method worked; the cat was able to receive and transmit conversations.
However, a problem arose. Despite being trained by the CIA, Acoustic Kitty had its own thoughts and did not enjoy being near the target as directed.
During its first mission, a field test in a park, the spy cat wandered into the street and was run over by a taxi.
This incident forced the CIA to reconsider and ultimately led to the cancellation of the project in 1967.
Feathered Spies
To find a more promising animal candidate, the CIA did not have to look far beyond Acoustic Kitty’s eternal rival: pigeons.
The first pigeon camera was invented by German inventor Julius Neubronner in 1907 – (Photo: RORHOF/STADTARCHIV KRONBERG/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC).
Since ancient times, warring factions have relied on pigeons as messenger birds. By World War II, these birds had become espionage assets for various countries.
At the beginning of the war, the British intelligence network collapsed under the rapid advance of German forces. In Britain’s darkest hour, World War I veterans who had used pigeons to communicate through trenches came up with the idea.
Gordon Corera, a British journalist and author of the book Operation Columba: The Secret Pigeon Service, stated: “On secret flights over occupied Europe, they dropped pigeon boxes with parachutes and saw if they could retrieve any information.”
Desperate villagers in France and Belgium, resisting Nazi occupation, risked their lives to write messages on small pieces of paper, attach them to British pigeons’ legs, and release them into the sky.
Corera noted: “The important thing about pigeons is that they have a superpower, the ability to find their way home.”
Operation Columba was remarkably successful: “spy pigeons brought back about 1,000 messages to London with information about radar installations, the movements of Nazi troops, and V1 missile sites. The pigeons earned medals for their bravery.”
In the United States, during the 1970s, the CIA designed a small film camera attached to pigeons. They secretly transported the birds to release them near Soviet military installations. The cameras would take high-resolution photos on their flights back home.
Today, technologies like drones can offer more significant insights than cats or pigeons, which is why Acoustic Kitty and Operation Tacana have entered the history and legend of the CIA.
However, this does not mean the CIA has completely abandoned animals. “Times change, technology changes, but animals remain potential partners in our CIA missions,” emphasized Robert Wallace, a CIA official.
Corera, a security journalist who has followed allegations between India and Pakistan regarding spy pigeons and has heard of a Chinese pigeon training branch, stated: “Although we rely more on technology, intelligence agencies still need backup plans. Therefore, I believe the era of pigeon espionage is not necessarily over.”
