3 ms·
There's a book called "Spy Dust" about tools of the trade, which the wikipedia article links to and which has this to say on p. 121 (https://www.google.com/book
by adrianmonk 7y ago
There's a book called "Spy Dust" about tools of the trade, which the wikipedia article links to and which has this to say on p. 121 (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Spy_Dust/U0eEd6Jc3koC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA121 https://www.google.com/books/edition/Spy_Dust/U0eEd6Jc3koC?h...):
> KGB defector Yurchenko, who defected to the U.S. that same year, had confirmed that the KGB not only continued to employ spy dust, but was also experimenting with other powerful tracking substances and techniques under a top-secret umbrella program called METKA. We understood that spy dust could be used to track the Soviets' own citizens as well; it could be very useful in picking an individual out of a crowd, even at night, or in bad weather. A special light was used to illuminate and spot the tiny chemical particles, which, when used in small amounts, could be nearly invisible to the naked eye. Typically the technical readout would be performed at a chokepoint that the KGB controlled. The entrance to the U.S. Embassy compound, manned by the Soviet Militia, or a bridge over a well-traveled corridor were the sort of locations where a light and optics unit could be mounted.
The wikipedia article also mentions luminol (a different chemical), so it is hard to be sure whether references to UV refer to luminol instead. I'm not sure if both chemicals glow under UV.
Nevertheless, wikipedia also links to a NY Times article from 1986 (https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/15/world/us-says-spy-dust-used-by-the-russians-is-no-health-hazard.html https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/15/world/us-says-spy-dust-us...) which says, "The ''spy dust'' reportedly glowed under ultraviolet light." So unless the NY Times got them mixed up, it sounds like "regular" (non-luminol) spy dust glows too.
Of course, the wikipedia article also mentions a method that involves collecting a chemical sample, so it's possible they might have also used it to detect residue to check whether a spy touched some object.