Comments on: some secret messages

By: James

James — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 03:14:08 +0000

Fantastic Story

Here’s another code for someone to break.

http://letter.ie/0029/0001.html

This time from 1903 written on a postcard, it mite have “I LOVE YOU” too in it but I don’t know.

By: Adam

Adam — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:36:13 +0000

There was a POW record too:

http://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=466&mtch=1&cat=WR26&tf=F&sc=11675,11660,11679,11667,11669,11676,11672,11673&bc=sl,fd&txt_11660=rose+mario&op_11660=0&nfo_11660=V,24,1900&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=109309

By: Adam

Adam — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:34:27 +0000

He was drafted – I found a record of it a while back, and I’m pretty positive I sent the link around before.

http://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=1&tf=F&q=mario+rose&bc=sl,fd&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=2538884

By: Ray Rose

Ray Rose — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:59:48 +0000

Actually Evan, though Grandpa was a Staff Sergeant when he was discharged, the potential OSS thing happened before he went in to the Army. I think that it was because the OSS thing didn’t happen that he went into the Army. I don’t know if he was drafted or enlisted.

By: M. Reed Brooks

M. Reed Brooks — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 17:20:14 +0000

Amazing solution! I would have never solved it. Remind me to start using chaos theory encryption. You guys are scary!

By: Evan

Evan — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 04:21:40 +0000

Derek,

Grandpa was at least a Staff Sergeant (Non-commissioned officer) in the Army Air Corps, so I’d guess he probably did have an officer’s rank in the OSS.

By: derek rose

derek rose — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:21:44 +0000

Tim – Basically, it was a very simple code and Kalixis guessed that “I love you” would be in the text and that it was a columnar transposition code. He was right so it was just a matter of time before he could find a solution. Stabbing in the dark can be effective if you know the general area in which to stab!

This was never going to be a Cryptonomicon-type code (great book btw). I mean I love my grandmother but she was not going to be doing anything so sophisticated and complex, y’know?

Nolatz – Well, I never really thought of my grandpa as like an “OSS officer.” (And I dunno his rank, but I’m sure he was more of a grunt than an officer.) He was just an everyday Joe (I say that lovingly) trying to serve his country.

Did you what came out of the National Archives this week, how even people like chef Julia Child served in the OSS?

By: tim maguire

tim maguire — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:27:41 +0000

Wow, what a great little story that unfolded here! I was going to mention Cryptonomicon and give the sad information that the code will not be broken without the key that your grandmother had, but not only am I not the first person to mention cryptonomicon, but it’s even been broken!

I’m a pretty bright guy, but I can barely understand Kalixis’ solution even after the explanation–all the factors and line juggling sounds like stabbing in the dark to me. And yet it worked! How in the world did he arrive at that solution from the clues given?!?

By: nolatz

nolatz — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 19:39:48 +0000

It is amazing too because grandmother would have to know how to decode it, which means grandpa must have taught her. Very sweet and romantic, don’t ya think, for an OSS officer?

By: Snotglobs of the Universe

Snotglobs of the Universe — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 23:45:41 +0000

Those other translation are totally off. Here is the actual transcription:

Vuntz I had a kendy store
Bizniss vas so bad,
I asked mein vife
vat to do
And dis is vat she said:
Take yourself some kerosene
Pour it on de floor,
Take a match
Give a Scratch
No more kendy store, HEY!