Spy Conference Sheds Light on Secret Past

Judging by his handling of the First Annual International Spy Conference, Bernie Reeves wouldn't make a good spy.

The editor and publisher of Raleigh's Metro Magazine wanted to invite one speaker to Raleigh to discuss his life in espionage. But the basic plan ballooned into a two-day conference with renown experts in the field. When it comes to keeping a lid on the meeting, Reeves failed the test.

"This obviously got away from us," Reeves said in a phone interview from Raleigh. "It was going to be a very simple visit from Chris Andrew. Now it's turned into an unprecedented event, because these people have never been together."

The keynote speaker for the event, to be held August 28-29 at the N.C. Museum of History, is Dr. Christopher Andrew. Andrew is regarded as the premier scholar and author on Cold War Espionage and is the official historian of the British Security Service (MI5).

Joining Andrew at the conference, which is subtitled "Spies, Lies and Treason: The KGB in America," are Brian Kelley, the "wrong man" accused in the Robert Hanssen FBI investigation; Keith Melton, owner of the world's largest collection of spy gear; former KGB General Oleg Kalugin, who was chief of Soviet counterintelligence; Nigel West, British military intelligence historian; and Hayden Peakes, curator of the CIA's historical intelligence.

The conference will include a cocktail reception, book signings, displays, recent espionage films and videos and other exhibits. But Reeves expects the Q&A sessions to be the highlight of the conference.

"The whole atmosphere around espionage is very, very vibrant," Reeves said. "U.S. News and World Reports have done three special reports on espionage in the last six, eight months. There's a lot of interest in this whole thing."