Of course, the agents using their shoelaces to silently signal one another had to agree to the “language” of the laces ahead of time, and there weren’t standard meanings assigned to the assorted lacing patterns. Operatives could agree to look for the person with their shoes laced a certain way or decide that specific lacing patterns aligned with particular coded messages. Recoil Offgrid further quotes “The Cold War Spy Manual”: “Because there are several such patterns, added information could be given by the choice of pattern used. ‘I have information for you.’ ‘I’ll follow your instruction.’ ‘I have brought another person.'”

“The Cold War Spy Manual” is full of previously secret CIA methods and operations, as is the declassified “Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception.” Thrillist lists several lessons from the latter, including the use of clothing button sizes, color, and placement to send messages. Elsewhere, agents used the touching or adjusting of said buttons along with ties, shoelaces, and other accessories to indicate that messages have been received. 

Agents also sent messages via the ribbons used to tie up packages, which meant the packages’ wrapping paper had to be very plain in order to highlight the ribbons’ colors, knots, and placements — all of which had their own meanings. Other low-tech tools used by the CIA included secret pockets hidden within clothes, sleight of hand tricks to conceal documents and objects covertly changing hands, and handkerchiefs to shield objects being passed to one another. Menus, sugar bowls, and other seemingly benign props were also utilized.