cartome.org
29 August 2001
Source: http://www.odci.gov/cia/ciakids/aerial/index.html
source: CIA's Homepage for
Kids
Harry
Recon: Ace Photo Pigeon
Hi, kids! My name is Harry
Recon, and this is my twin sister, Aerial. She's going to tell
you about the History of
the CIA in another section of the kid's page. We know some
great books, too! Read all about it! My parents named me after President Harry
Truman, who created the Central Intelligence Agency when he signed the
National Security Act on Sept. 18, 1947. My family has always supported the
Agency and its predecessor, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), roosting
wherever it was camped and keeping an eye out in defense of our country, too.
In 1961, when the Agency
moved from downtown Washington, DC, to Langley, Virginia, we naturally followed.
My dad says that we Recons have been in the intelligence operations business
throughout US history:
- With Paul Revere on his
midnight ride.
- With Virginia Hall
as she arrived in France during World War II.
- Winging along side the
U-2 as it took off to gather overhead pictures.
Let
Aerial tell you more about where we live and work and about our family
history.
Family
History
The cameras
Harry and I have were handed down to us by two great aunts. They were part
of the homing pigeon team that flew over the International Photographic Exhibition
in Dresden in 1909. You may want to read more about the Bavarian
Pigeon Corps at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) web site. The idea of using pigeons for aerial photography in a military
setting never really got off the ground, so to speak. However, these pigeons
provided wonderful postcards for the people at the Exhibition. Mom has some
of those postcards hanging on the roost wall, and they are pretty. She let
Harry and me have the cameras when we got older so we could carry on the family
tradition of taking pictures. It's like carrying a bit of history around with
us all the time! Check
out some of our postcards!
Well,
history is exciting and interesting to learn, and the history of intelligence
and the people and methods used to gather it are probably among the most fascinating
areas of history. Come with me and let me introduce you to some of these great
historical figures
in this special world.
[Aerial
Photography Pigeon]
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