The Bug in the Great Seal
In 1945, Soviet schoolchildren gave the American ambassador a beautiful carved wooden seal. For seven years, it listened to everything said in his study.
What was reported
In August 1945, a group of Soviet children presented the US ambassador in Moscow with a hand-carved replica of the Great Seal of the United States, as a gesture of friendship. It hung in his residence for years.
In 1952, a British radio operator happened to hear American voices from the embassy on an open frequency. A search found a tiny device hidden inside the seal: no battery, no wires. Nobody could understand how it worked.
Explanations offered
It was a passive listening device, designed by Léon Theremin, the inventor of the electronic instrument. It only came to life when the Soviets beamed radio waves at it from outside; sound in the room vibrated a thin membrane, which changed the reflected signal. Its design was a forerunner of modern RFID tags.
- When
- 1945–1952
- Where
- Spaso House, Moscow, Russia
- Witnesses
- American diplomats and security officers
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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