Hollywood spy techniques aren’t entirely fiction, according to former CIA chief of disguise Jonna Mendez.
During an interview on “CBS Mornings” on Wednesday, Mendez said some of the high-tech espionage depicted in the Tom Cruise action series “Mission Impossible” using masks that allow characters to dramatically peel off realistic facial disguises has real-world parallels.
“The idea of a mask that you could quickly put on, quickly take off was very real,” she said. “We used it with some discretion, but we used it when we needed it and got great results.”
Mendez said that the CIA developed masks capable of changing an agent’s apparent gender and ethnicity. She said she personally demonstrated this technology to President George H.W. Bush and other high-ranking officials, including Brent Scowcroft, Bob Gates, and John Sununu — none of whom recognized her until she removed the disguise.
“No one had any idea until I took it off,” Mendez said. She added that only Judge William H. Webster, then head of the CIA, knew about the demonstration in advance.
The masks were remarkably realistic, according to Mendez.
“You would not notice unless you told a really hysterical joke and the person couldn’t laugh hysterically,” she said, noting that the disguises had some limitations, but could manage a smile.
The agents could even apply these masks without mirrors in as little as 10 seconds, even “in a parking garage without a mirror in the dark.”
When asked about the self-destructing messages depicted in the films, Mendez was more circumspect.
“I don’t know that we’ve tried that,” she said. “There are many ways to convey a message. The exploding machine is only one, and I think we have not. Maybe we haven’t mastered that yet.”
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” is distributed by Paramount Pictures, which is a subsidiary of Paramount Global, CBS News’ parent company. The film hits theaters on Friday, May 23.
