Cold War Museum - Collection and Holdings

Collection and Holdings

The museum has over $3 million worth of international Cold War artifacts in its collection. Museum holdings include items from the 1948-1949 Berlin Airlift, 1960 U-2 incident (including the helmet used by Francis Gary Powers and the suitcase carried by Powers across Glienicke Bridge when he was exchanged for Rudolf Abel), a 5,000-square-foot (460 m2) display on the Cuban Missile Crisis that includes a Soviet SA-2 missile and four America Nike missiles, and material from the USS Liberty incident, USS Pueblo incident, Corona spy satellites, and Space Race. The museum also has the largest collection of civil defense items in America, mainly acquired from the former Civil Defense headquarters in Washington; a yellow East German Trabant automobile; and Soviet and East German flags and banners. The museum also has acquired the mailbox used by Aldrich Ames to contact his Soviet handlers.