The newest interactive attraction at Discovery Times Square in New York, SPY: The Secret World of Espionage, offers visitors the first-ever public exhibition of treasures from the collections of the CIA, the FBI, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), and H. Keith Melton, the renowned author, historian, and international authority on spy technology. Visitors will see real gadgets and real artifacts from spies and spy catchers. They will observe real spy technologies, and learn the real tools-of-trade, some recently declassified. Arriving to New York City for its world premiere, SPY grants guests unprecedented access into the real world of espionage.

SPY's extensive collection of espionage-related artifacts, both historic and contemporary, will illustrate the fascination behind the world of spies. Many of the artifacts on display at SPY come straight from the unparalleled 10,000-plus personal artifact collection of H. Keith Melton, author of several books on the subject, including the best-selling The Ultimate Spy and the forthcoming Spy's Guide to New York City. The remaining artifacts come straight from the collections of some of the world's leading intelligence agencies, including the CIA, the FBI and the NRO. There has never been a shortage of intrigue in the world of spies, and the artifacts and interactives in SPY vividly tell their stories, past and present, through actual tools, technologies, and testimonials.

Of particular interest to New Yorkers will be artifacts, video surveillance tapes, and other items from the collection of the FBI related to "Ghost Stories," the infamous Anna Chapman Russian spy case that beguiled New Yorkers and, indeed, all Americans just two years ago.  The case is arguably the most successfully foiled clandestine operation in contemporary American history, and visitors will see shocking, recently declassified surveillance videos of the undercover Russian spies in New York City, along with many of their personal belongings and tools.

Visitors to SPY will find an educational, entertaining introduction to spy skills and techniques that have not previously been displayed, Melton noted. "New York will get a thrill equivalent to opening an envelope marked 'top secret.' Espionage is so much more than what you see on TV – there are real dangers and incredible technologies involved, and SPY lets you experience it all. For the general public, visiting SPY will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Visitors to SPY won't have to crack a code to find out how invisible ink, listening devices, and subminiature cameras have been utilized for surveillance and information-gathering. The exhibition will unveil all of these secrets and more, allowing visitors to become a clandestine agent for a day and learn how to create a disguise, navigate through security laser beams, see through walls, and monitor New York City by satellite.