Assassins, Spies & the Manhattan Project Walking Tour in Santa Fe

Discover the hidden world of Soviet espionage starting at the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe. This introduction explores the roles of spies and couriers, revealing how covert operations and secret intelligence activities shaped both global events and the region’s history. Learn the basics of spy craft and uncover Santa Fe’s surprising connection to Cold War intrigue.

Discover key locations tied to Cold War espionage in Santa Fe, where history reveals the real-life world of Soviet intelligence operations. Learn about the Spitz Clock, linked to one of the most significant atomic espionage successes involving the transfer of sensitive information, and visit the site of Zook’s Pharmacy, once connected to covert plans surrounding the assassination of a Russian Marxist figure. Together, these stops highlight the surprising role of Santa Fe in global espionage and the far-reaching impact of spy networks.

Explore the human stories behind one of history’s most secretive operations as you’re introduced to key figures and moments of espionage connected to Santa Fe. Learn about Dorothy McKibbin, the trusted gatekeeper of the Manhattan Project in Santa Fe, who helped discreetly manage the flow of scientists and personnel linked to the top-secret program. Discover the significance of PO Box 1663, a seemingly ordinary mailing address that served as a cover for highly classified communications and operations tied to Los Alamos. Through engaging anecdotes, this stop also reveals how even the most carefully controlled intelligence efforts were not without flaws, with stories of security lapses that exposed the challenges of maintaining secrecy during wartime. Together, these insights provide a deeper understanding of the people, systems, and occasional missteps that shaped one of the most critical chapters in espionage and scientific history.

Discover how Santa Fe’s historic sites concealed one of the most secret operations of World War II. At the location now home to the Museum of Contemporary Native Art, you’ll learn how a former post office once handled PO Box 1663—a simple address that served as a crucial front for Manhattan Project communications and personnel logistics. This stop reveals how scientists arriving in Santa Fe were discreetly processed and assigned aliases to protect their identities before being transported to Los Alamos. By uncovering the clever systems used to maintain secrecy, including coded identities and unassuming locations, this experience highlights the extraordinary measures taken to shield one of history’s most important scientific missions.

bert Oppenheimer—known under the alias “Mr. Bradley”—and is chosen to manage the discreet 109 East Palace office. From here, she quietly coordinated arrivals for the Manhattan Project, while scientists used everyday settings, like local bars, to spread misinformation and protect one of history’s most closely guarded secrets.

IA operative Edward Lee Howard—after being dismissed from the agency—secretly fled Santa Fe in 1985 and defected to the Soviet Union. His escape highlights the enduring presence of espionage activity in the region and the high-stakes consequences of intelligence betrayal.