Acoustic Kitty
Encyclopedia
Acoustic Kitty was a CIA project launched by the Directorate of Science & Technology
in the 1960s attempting to use cat
s in spy missions, intended to spy on the Kremlin, and Soviet embassies. A battery and a microphone were implanted into a cat and an antenna into its tail. This would allow the cats to innocously record and transmit sound from its surroundings. Due to problems with distraction, the cat's sense of hunger had to be addressed in another operation. Surgical and training expenses are thought to have amounted to over $20 million.
The first cat mission was eavesdropping on two men in a park outside the Soviet compound
on Wisconsin Avenue in Washington, D.C.
The cat was released nearby, but was hit and killed by a taxi almost immediately. Subsequent tests also failed. Shortly thereafter the project was considered a failure and declared to be a total loss. The project was cancelled in 1967.
prefigured the concept of Acoustic Kitty in his novel, Billion Dollar Brain, where the unnamed hero (Harry Palmer) notes that "Even the cats of East Berlin
are wired..." for sound recording.
John Mann
produced an album in 2002 entitled Acoustic Kitty
.
The project is featured in a novel and in a children's book:
Operation Acoustic Kitty was featured in a strip of Dinosaur Comics
.
In Alpha Protocol
, Steven Heck tells Michael Thorton about this in response to an unrelated question.
Central Intelligence Agency Directorate of Science & Technology
The Directorate of Science and Technology is the branch of the United States Central Intelligence Agency charged with developing and applying technology to advance the United States intelligence gathering.-Origins:...
in the 1960s attempting to use cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s in spy missions, intended to spy on the Kremlin, and Soviet embassies. A battery and a microphone were implanted into a cat and an antenna into its tail. This would allow the cats to innocously record and transmit sound from its surroundings. Due to problems with distraction, the cat's sense of hunger had to be addressed in another operation. Surgical and training expenses are thought to have amounted to over $20 million.
The first cat mission was eavesdropping on two men in a park outside the Soviet compound
Embassy of Russia in Washington
The Embassy of Russia in Washington, D.C. is the diplomatic mission of the Russian Federation to the United States. The chancery is located at 2650 Wisconsin Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C..-New Embassy compound at Wisconsin Avenue:...
on Wisconsin Avenue in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The cat was released nearby, but was hit and killed by a taxi almost immediately. Subsequent tests also failed. Shortly thereafter the project was considered a failure and declared to be a total loss. The project was cancelled in 1967.
In media
Although it is not entirely clear on whether he is the originator of the concept, British author Len DeightonLen Deighton
Leonard Cyril Deighton is a British military historian, cookery writer, and novelist. He is perhaps most famous for his spy novel The IPCRESS File, which was made into a film starring Michael Caine....
prefigured the concept of Acoustic Kitty in his novel, Billion Dollar Brain, where the unnamed hero (Harry Palmer) notes that "Even the cats of East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
are wired..." for sound recording.
John Mann
John Mann (musician)
John F. Mann is a Canadian rock musician and actor.-Music:He is the lead vocalist for the folk rock band Spirit of the West...
produced an album in 2002 entitled Acoustic Kitty
Acoustic Kitty (album)
Acoustic Kitty is the debut solo album by Canadian singer-songwriter John Mann, the lead singer of Spirit of the West. It was released in 2002 on Nettwerk. Mann's supporting band for the album consisted of Doug Elliott, Ford Pier and Michael Phillip Wojewoda...
.
The project is featured in a novel and in a children's book:
- Acoustic Kitty by Bob Rybarczyk, ISBN 978-1-60145-397-6
- A Horse in the House by Gail Ablow, ill. by Kathy Osborn, ISBN 978-0-7636-2838-3
Operation Acoustic Kitty was featured in a strip of Dinosaur Comics
Dinosaur Comics
Dinosaur Comics is a constrained webcomic by Canadian writer Ryan North. It is also known as "Qwantz", after the site's domain name, "qwantz.com". The first comic was posted on 1 February 2003, though there were earlier prototypes. Dinosaur Comics has also been printed in two collections and in a...
.
In Alpha Protocol
Alpha Protocol
Alpha Protocol is a third-person espionage role-playing video game, developed by Obsidian Entertainment, their first title for an original IP, and published by Sega. The game revolves around the adventures of field agent Michael Thorton...
, Steven Heck tells Michael Thorton about this in response to an unrelated question.