The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception (by H. Keith Melton and Robert Wallace) reveals a 1953 Cold War manual written by magician John Mulholland for the CIA. It outlines how to adapt magician sleight-of-hand techniques, such as misdirection and concealment, for clandestine operations like delivering substances, passing items, and surreptitious surveillance. The book was released to the public after the original manual was thought destroyed in 1973, providing a unique, historically significant look into the "wizardry and spycraft" of the 1950s CIA.