From the Chevalier d'Éon [a French diplomat, spy, freemason and soldier who fought in the Seven Years' War] to the secret agents of the Fifth Republic, the exhibition Le secret de l'État. Surveiller, protéger, informer (The State Secret; Surveillance, Protection, Information) explores the history the organisations, their power strong-holds and their techniques of gathering intelligence, covering the period of the Revolution to the 21st century.
In this exhibition, the first to explore such a topic, the Archives Nationales reveal to the public for the first time a world often shrouded in fantasy, rarely seen archive material and as well as exceptional objects, in partnership with the Ministère de la Défense et de l'Intérieur.
During the exhibition, the visitor is invited to understand the methods used to construct “the state secret” and how these methods rely on a particular encoding or script, invented by a specific bureaucracy (in which diplomatic as well as military and police services are combined) and which surrounds the heads of State.
The formation of the intelligence services, in the service of both foreign and home affairs, since the end of the Ancien Regime underlines the State's desire to affirm itself internationally and protect its information. With this aim in mind, a selection of secret documents, interviews, films and a gallery of mysterious machines reveal the world of the secret agent. The ultimate symbol of secrecy, the HQ of the submarine “Le Redoutable”, the incarnation of the nuclear deterrent, is presented to visitors in a striking visual immersion installation.
See more at: http://www.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr/web/guest/le-secret-de-l-etat
Archives nationales – Site de Paris – hôtel de Soubise
60 Rue des Francs Bourgeois
75003 Paris
FRANCE
Opening times
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 10 AM and 5:30PM
Saturdays and Sundays between 2 PM and 5:30PM.
Closed on Tuesdays.
Langue(s) : French