The operation, known as Operation Lunik, involved CIA agents—with help from Mexican intelligence—temporarily acquiring a Soviet Luna 2 probe that was on display as part of a goodwill space exhibition.
Over the course of a single night, U.S. agents:
Transported the probe to a secure location
Disassembled and photographed its internal components
Reassembled it perfectly and returned it before morning
The Soviets never realized it had been tampered with. This mission provided valuable intelligence on Soviet space technology and contributed to U.S. advances in the early space race.
All the agents were probably on copious amounts of scotch and cocaine.