In 1951, the CIA established the Technical Support Department. The establishment of this department was mainly to combat the gradual upgrade of the Soviet Union's intelligence collection technology.
Americans did not expect that the establishment of the Technology Department was really timely, because a year later, the Technology Department discovered a shocking secret. There was a wiretaper installed in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow . The news of
suddenly caused shock to the CIA.
Clever methods
The US Embassy can be said to be the place with the strictest defense. In order to prevent the Soviets from getting information, the Americans were strictly guarding against it. Everything they passed must be strictly investigated. How did the Soviets load the eavesdropper into the embassy?
results, if you continue to check, things will be even more amazing. It turned out that the eavesdropping device was hidden in a wooden American national emblem badge, and this national emblem was actually hung in the study of the then diplomatic ambassador George Kennan!
means that over the years, all core secrets have been continuously transmitted to the Soviets through this eavesdropper.
The United States immediately requested a investigation into this matter, and diplomatic ambassador George was unaware of the interrogation of the agents.
Because, he did not accept this national emblem. Since he came to the embassy some time ago, this badge has been hanging here.
At that time, George felt that the badge was engraved very finely and was a work of art, so he did not take it off.
George Kenan
This answer made the agents sweat even more.
Agent asked about investigations in the embassy again, and finally learned that this was given to Harriman, the then American diplomatic ambassador, seven years ago, in 1945.
The occasion was a very grand welcome ceremony. Not only were there a large number of Young Pioneers and Harrimann, but also the Soviet leader Stalin .
At that time, Stalin watched Harriman take the badge and smiled and said to him that the British would envy them badly.
Harriman did not doubt that there was a wiretap in this wooden badge, but happily hung it on the wall of the study, for seven years.
Seven years, the embassy has replaced four diplomatic ambassadors, but none of them thought of taking off the badge and checking it carefully.
In fact, it is not a big deal for these diplomatic ambassadors to be careless, because the craftsmanship of this badge is very exquisite and has a beautiful appearance, which is indeed very suitable for hanging outside for exhibitions.
In addition, this badge is small in size and does not weigh much. No one would have thought that the Soviet Union would hide the eavesdropper here.
However, after checking, the agent found that the eavesdropping device was cunningly hidden in the nostril of the eagle on the American national emblem.
The four US diplomatic ambassadors did not list this badge as the focus of doubt. There is a very important reason why eavesdropping were still a very complex technology in the 1940s and 1950s.
Most eavesdroppers need to be connected to the power supply before they can be used, so the ambassadors could not have imagined that a badge without any power connection would become a magic weapon for eavesdropping.
Moreover, the security measures for the study were very in place in the United States at that time. The study was equipped with the most advanced anti-eavesdropping device in the United States at that time, which could cut off all eavesdropping devices.
Because of this, several diplomatic ambassadors believed that the study room was an absolutely safe place. They talked about state secrets very boldly here, but unexpectedly they sent the information into the opponent's pocket.
The United States believes that this is a great humiliation, so it asked the CIA to return home immediately with this eavesdropping device and study the principles carefully.
major powers confronted
However, after returning to the United States, a group of American scientists disassembled the instrument, but they were confused.
In this instrument, scientists did not find any device that can connect to the power supply, and even no reflection of radio waves, which means it does not use electricity.
But if something doesn’t use electricity, how does it run?
The science and technology of the United States at that time was already the most developed in the world. However, even American scientists could not guess this. Now, Americans are even more depressed.
Although the eavesdropping equipment was discovered, the United States did not dare to hold the Soviet Union accountable at all.
Because once this matter is made public, it will be equivalent to announcing to the world that the United States has been stolen by the Soviet Union for seven years without knowing it. I am afraid that everyone will think that it is the result of the United States being too stupid.
Moreover, the United States has completely failed to decipher the secrets behind the Soviet bugs. If it is made public, it is tantamount to showing weakness.
In order to find out, the United States could only contact the United Kingdom and sent the bugs there, hoping that the United Kingdom could help.
British scientists were very angry when they saw this bug.
Because the Americans did not take a fancy to the technology of this bug at first, they sent the bug to many laboratories for dismantling. As a result, the bug caused serious damage during transportation and brought great trouble to British research.
The United States had nothing to say in the face of the British accusations. It could only continue to ask the British to speed up. Although the British complained, they still maintained extremely high efficiency.
A few weeks later, Britain's top laboratory finally discovered the secret.
This eavesdropper relies on radio waves to operate. A radio receiver is installed inside the receiver, so the eavesdropper can first receive part of the radio waves and then convert them into kinetic energy for operation through the receiver.
was able to think of such a method despite limited technology. The Soviet Union had indeed developed eavesdropping technology to the extreme. Even as opponents, British and American scientists also admired the Soviets' professional capabilities.
However, even if the U.S. authorities know the truth, they cannot expose it. This is about the dignity of Americans. It is really a dumb thing to eat coptis, and it is hard to tell the story.
Afterwards, the US authorities asked the CIA to strictly block the information. In this way, the matter was concealed until 1960.
This year, the United States sent a high-altitude reconnaissance plane to the Soviet Union to collect intelligence. Unexpectedly, it was discovered by the Soviets, and the plane was shot down in the Soviet Union, which suddenly aroused strong international public opinion.
People have always been well aware of the overt and covert struggle between the two major powers. However, news about the United States stealing intelligence is greatly detrimental to the United States.
As expected, the Soviet Union also grasped this point, made a big fuss, and even publicly condemned the United States on international occasions.
The United States saw that the Soviet Union had taken a deadly step, so it remembered the bargaining chip of bugs many years ago.
Soon, the United States wrote a series of news about bugs, and the news spread all over the world.
People were shocked. On the one hand, they lamented that the battle between the United States and the Soviet Union had become so fierce, and some people were laughing at the stupidity of the Americans. Haven't found anything in seven years?
In short, in this public opinion about the intelligence war, the Soviet Union and the United States each suffered losses.
Of course, the fact that the eavesdropping device was not discovered cannot be entirely blamed on the stupidity of the Americans. After all, the technology involved is too sophisticated.
Not long after, the CIA received news that surprised them even more. They actually knew the person who invented the eavesdropping device. And this person is a very popular music performer in the United States.
Mysterious Music
The person who invented the bug was called Lev Sergeyevich Theremin.
He has dual identities. First, he is a famous musician, and second, he is a spy from the KGB.
Of course, most Americans are only familiar with Theremin's first identity.
Before 1938, Tremen worked and lived in the United States for a long time and was basically completely integrated into American society. Therefore, the agents of the Intermediate Bureau never doubted him, and some even went to listen to his concert.
In fact, Tremen became a physicist earlier than becoming a musician.
1919, Tremen was already well-known in the physics community and showed a strong interest in radio research.
He successfully mastered a high-frequency oscillator. This oscillator will cause collisions and noises once the surrounding air changes slightly.
In order to show people the principle he discovered, he made a somewhat peculiar machine.
There are two metal rods on this machine. Tremen stood in front of the machine. His hands did not need to touch the metal rod. He just needed to gently wave his hands next to him, and the metal rod would make a sound as he waved.
This technology was almost magical in people at that time, so Tremen quickly became a celebrity in the United States.
And after repeated displays, Tremen suddenly had an inspiration, and the sound produced by the metal rod hit was pleasant. Moreover, after many experiments, Tremen has mastered the rules of making the metal rod sound.
He was thinking, why not make this instrument into a musical instrument?
So, Tremen was born.
To this day, the Teremen is still hailed as the weirdest instrument, because the musicians will not have any contact with it from beginning to end.
The process of playing the Tremen is more like casting a spell than playing music. To date, the Teremen is the only instrument in the world that does not require physical contact when playing, and is also the world's first electronic instrument .
Its birth is an epoch-making event for both the music and the physics community.
This also brought the fame of Tremen to a higher level. This weird instrument quickly attracted the sought after by the whole of the United States. Even Einstein was attracted by it and came to listen to Tremen's concert.
Moreover, because the tramen is an absolute avant-garde art, it greatly influenced the creator of jazz at that time.
In today's jazz music, people often see the shadow of the tramen.
Although the performance of this instrument is very difficult, both artists and ordinary people have shown great interest in the Terremen.
and Tremen also went from being a simple physicist to a more famous musician. His concerts were packed in the United States, and even tickets were hard to come by.
In the years when Tremen was the hottest, many Americans petitioned the government, hoping that the government could invite the musician to the local concert.
In addition, the tramen has also had an extremely positive impact on radio technology.
Therefore, American radio company also signed a long-term agreement with Tremen.
Not long after, Lenin invited Tremen to perform in the Soviet Union. Regarding this request, Tremen readily agreed. Although he lived in the United States for a long time, he finally had a deeper relationship with his country.
People speculated that it was during this period that Tremen joined the Soviet intelligence agency.
Some survey results show that during the negotiations with American radio companies, Tremen used his position to convey a lot of intelligence to the Soviet Union.
The value of these intelligence is immeasurable, and the identity of a musician is an excellent cover.
No matter how unscrupulously Tremen enters and exits the places where high officials and politicians gather, people will not doubt him. Because, for a musician, it is the most common thing to appear in the upper class.
Nether and large and small American officials, even the US president, will not be wary of the appearance of Tremen, but will only regard this as an honor.
However, behind the scenes, Theremin is also facing many crises.
Although the theremin created by genius
was a great success, given the social environment at that time, you could not make much money just by giving concerts again and again. Theremin research cost more money than the concerts.
His cooperation with RCA did not go smoothly because his technology was too advanced. Therefore, after RCA developed hundreds of devices based on his technology, sales were very ugly.
After 1938, Radio Corporation of America interrupted its cooperation with Theremin, causing Theremin to lose its largest source of income.
To make matters worse, Theremin married a black wife that year.
In the United States at that time, the status of blacks and whites was still extremely unequal. Marrying a black wife meant that Theremin's social status was severely reduced, and people also put on colored glasses towards this famous musician.
He could no longer hold large-scale concerts to earn living expenses for himself. In desperation, Theremin chose to return to China.
But when he returned to China, his experience became even more mysterious. Americans even speculated that he was kidnapped by the Soviet Union during the years when he disappeared.
After returning to the Soviet Union, for some unknown reason, Theremin was suddenly imprisoned. The Soviets accused him of being a counterrevolutionary, and then he was sent to Siberia.
For a prisoner, once he arrives in Siberia, he basically has to wait for death.
But various later information showed that Theremin was treated very well in Siberia. Moreover, the Soviet Union obviously valued his research abilities and provided him with all the equipment he needed to concentrate on radio research in Siberia.
Obviously, Theremin did not disappoint the Soviets. He developed a large number of radio equipment, which were almost without exception put into use on the battlefield and in the subsequent Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.
However, no one has ever thought about the relationship between the birth of these new technologies and the disappeared musician Theremin.
In the years since Theremin left, his reputation in the United States has grown. Because, with the advancement of technology and the development of music, Americans gradually realized that there is great artistic value behind the theremin, and musicians pursued it even more enthusiastically.
At this time, radio technology also developed to a new stage. Radio Corporation of America finally realized that it was absolutely a stupid decision for them to sever cooperation with the Theremin. The value of the Theremin can no longer be measured by money.
After reacting, countless Americans were asking, where did Theremin go?
However, there is no answer to this question, because at this time Theremin had faded away from his aura as a musician and devoted all his energy to a more mysterious national cause.
If the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union had not expanded and the wiretapping incident had not intensified later, perhaps people would never have discovered the connection between Theremin and the eavesdropping incident.
Theremin himself did not express any opinion on this matter. What people can know is that after this incident, Theremin still stayed in the Soviet Union for research.
Until 1991, the gray-haired Theremin returned to the United States and revisited his old hometown. His arrival caused a social sensation.
Whether as a scientist or a musician, his achievements are great enough for the world.
Reference:
Musical Instrument Science and Technology "The Past and Present Life of the Theremin"
Albert Glinsky "The Theremin: Ether Music and Espionage"
