A Polish ceramics company has revealed they were commissioned by the United States Central Intelligence Agency to produce an exclusive set of crockery bearing the agency's logo.
Ceramika Artystyczna Bolesławiec, in the small south-western city of Bolesławiec, says the project was initially top secret but they had been given permission by the CIA to show samples of the dishes.
The company's lead designer Maria Starzyk says painting the agency's logo was a particular challenge, as it features lots of lettering and small details.
But after "many attempts" and experiments using different materials the company came up with a solution, Starzyk says, as she painstakingly hand-painted the CIA logo on a blank plate and added the Polish company's trademark floral design.
The company's president, Helena Smoleńska, does not know how the agency came across her company - that information is still classified, she says.
But she wonders whether it may have come about after a group of American soldiers visited the company last year to try hand-painting some plates themselves.
However there is no question of selling any of the items with the CIA logo to third parties, Smoleńska says, adding that the set is "a unique collection manufactured for and sold exclusively to the CIA."
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 International, Reuters
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: tvn24