DID THE BRITISH SECRET SERVICE TRIAL USING SEMEN AS INVISIBLE INK DURING WW1?
The thought of having to write secret messages using semen is making me physically ill. But it’s probably not nearly as bad as having to actually write with it. It’s also worth noting, that the British Secret Service didn’t keep this ‘experiment’ going for long…
During conflict, both sides try to do what they can to get the edge on their opposition, this time, the British Secret Service thought they needed to develop a way to get messages across without them being visible to the naked eye.
One of the advantages of using semen, is mainly due to the fact nearly every field agent had it. But MI6 abandoned the idea due to the fact it has an incredibly bad smell, and no doubt put the female agents at a disadvantage. Not to mention it’s absolutely disgusting.
According to a fellow agent, “his letters stank to high heaven and we had to tell him that a fresh operation was necessary for each letter.”
But the history of invisible ink goes back “more than 2,000 years” so this isn’t a ‘new’ discovery by any means. Traditional methods of invisible ink included lemon and even milk of a tithymalus plant! And apparently, the smell of these two would give the secret message away. Sounds familiar…