S O L V I N G C I P H E R S E C R E T S Edited by M. E . Ohaver

E X P L A I N I N G MR. W I N S O R ' S D O U B L E T R A N S P O S I T I O N C I P H E R No. 127, O F JANU­A R Y 28 , W I T H S O L U T I O N — A L S O , T H E D E P A R T M E N T ' S F I R S T " L I M E R I C K C R Y P T "

HA S it ever been your lot to i n ­vent a cipher which yon believed insoluble, only later to devise a

method of solution for it yourself? Such was the experience of Charles

W i n s o r with his double—transposition system, No. 127, in the January 28 is­sue, the keys to which have been with­held al l this time pending receipt of methods of solution from our readers. I n fact, M r . Winsor ' s answer was the very first submitted.

Before delving into the solution, however, let us first briefly run through the method of encipherment, using the numbers i to 29 to represent the twentv-nine letters of the message, M O V E Y O U R D I V I S I O N A T O N C E . Should the reader so desire, he may, of course, repeat the process w i t h the message itself.

I n effecting the first transposition, the columns of (b) are taken out i n the order indicated by the key (a), and the resultant series is transcribed by successive horizontals into (d). F o r the second and final transposition (e) take the columns of (d) in tiie order indicated by the second key (c).

O L - 7 — t -

L I (a) 3 — 2 -

(b) 1 2 8 9

I S 16 22 23 29 .

N -s-

c — I -

4 ."̂ 6 I I 12 13 18 19 20 25 26 27

N - 6

7 14 21 2 8

G E T (c) 3 - 2 - 7 -

(d) 4 I I 18 2S 2 9 16 23 I 8 15 22 29 6 13 2 0 27 3 10 17 24 7 14 21 28 s 12 19 26 .

(e) 16-27-12-11-22-7-4-15-24-8-17-1-10-26-9-20-5-18-29-14-25-6-21-23-3-19-2-13-28.

T h e problem facing the decipherer here is, given the series (b) and (c), to determine the intermediate series (d), and the two numerical keys (a) and (c).

A t first sight this might seem like a tough proposition. But Mr . W i n s o r found that results could be had by the same methods used for the United States A r m y double transposition c i ­pher, as described i n the issues of De­cember 24 and December 3 1 , 1927, the common difference between groups i n ­dicating the length of the first key, the number of such groups the length of the second key, and the groups them­selves forming sections of the interme­diate stage (d). O u r limited space w i l l not permit a ful l solution. But by re­ferr ing to the above articles the reader should have no difficulty i n performing it himself.

Our correspondent also found that the system could be solved by tr ia l and error, disregarding the length of the second key, and try ing one length after another for the first key unti l the right length was found.

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F o r example, trying seven columns for the first transposition, and know­ing that 16 must come in the first hor i ­zontal of (d), we have the series 2-9-16-23 from (h), and 16-27-12 . . . f r o m f c j as a framework about which to group the remaining numbers, thus :

. 2 9 16 2 3 .

. . . 27 . .

. . . 12 . .

So after a l l , this system turns out to be no more difficult to solve than the a r m y cipher after which it was mod­eled. H a d it proved to be al l that our correspondent expected of it , we should have had a simple, practical system i n which single messages would have been safe even though several messages i n the same key, but of a dif­ferent length, had already been com­bined for solution by other methods.

A s matters stand M r . W i n s o r de­serves credit both for his effort to evolve such a cipher and his method o f solving it. Other solutions sub­mitted to this cipher w i l l be published i n our next solvers' list.

Here is the answer to J o h n Q. Boyer 's No. 152, of last week: " S N O W Y C R A C K , A R C T I C C L E F T , I C Y G A P , F R O Z E N C H A S M , A L B E I T R I S K Y , O F T T E M P T S K I I N G A C R O B A T . " A , pretty word picture, this, but not a n easy crvpt! Note that wicked double I i n S K I I N G . D i d you get i t ?

No. 153, by Raymond Wallace, used the following alphabet of coupled pairs i n which A = Y , Y = A ; P = B , B = P ; and so on. H and W acted as their own symbols. Phonetic equivalents were used for Q U ( K W ) and X ( K S and G Z ) . T h e message: " T h i s _ cipher only requires a short table which can be memorized i n a few minutes."

A E I P T C K F S L M Y U O B D J G V Z R N

T o decipher No. 154, by M . L . H a r ­ris , transcribe the cryptogram by de­scending verticals, left to right, to form the subjoined nine by eleven rectangle.

T h e n read by successive horizontals, left to right, wi th due regard for pho­netic values, and omitting the italicized letters, which are only nulls, and you w i l l get the message: T U H Y M N H U I N Z I . . . which, i n ordinary spelling, becomes : " T o h im who in the love of Nature holds communion wi th her visible forms, she speaks a various language."

T U H Y M M H U I N . 4 Z I L U V U V N A C . g H U R R H O L D Z K O O M M U N Y U N W Y . 5 Z H U R R V I Z I B T T U L L F O U R M M Z K S H I S P I K S A V Z T A R I U J S L A N G W O

I J J i A Z O B H F V Z

E v e r y cipher on this week's list is of exceptional interest and merit. T h e first is a cleverly constructed O. and A . cryptogram, wi th the two parts i n dif­ferent simple substitution alphabets. M r s . Fowler ' s message is very unusual.

I n No. 156, C. E . Roe is offering readers of this department their first " l imerick crypt ." A straight substitu­tion alphabet has been used.

A single rule, simple and easy to re­member, is a l l you need to decipher D r . F a r r e l l ' s No. 157. T h e system is sim­plicity itself, but without the rule you may have a tough time of it. C I P H E R No. 155 (Mrs. M. L . Fowler, Kansas

City, Kansas) . Question: W H A T Y G H A N L I Z N E B

G A I Z T M Z N M X M T Y Q - Y U H S P A N Y G E T Y Q - H I M M R A L P N U G L Y ?

An^er: B U Y F O - R N I N E L Q E S Y N S F L Y N N .

C I P H E R No. 156 (C . E . Roe, Hudson, Massa­chusetts).

Baestus, fly paxdu at Straigs, Edbsejdu ry Ida omygod, " F l s r s mai kyg

sed!" Stu Id osau, " Y bk zgddt, Ao ar bsttdeo kyg bdst, _

Ye uy kyg ednde ry bk naiged?" C I P H E R No. 157 (Dr . G. A. Farrel l , Mont­

gomery, Alabama). I I — 1 3 . 2 9 . 1 . 6 — 2 0 . 1 4 . 2 4 . 2 0 . 1 8 . 1 2 . 2 — 2 1 . 3 . 1 6 . 6 — 2 8 . 1 2 . 1 0 . 2 8 — T 2 . 1 8 . 3 3 . 9 . 6 — 2 . 1 4 — 2 4 . 7 . 1 7 . 2 7 . 1 7 . 6 — 2 . 2 9 — 2 1 . 1 6 . 2 . 1 9 . 1 7 . 2 4 . 8 . 2 T — 1 7 . 4 1 . 1 — 3 2 . 1 4 . 2 8 . 1 2 . 6 . 3 6 . 4 0 — 0 . 1 3 . 3 — 3 - 3 9 . I 7 . 7 — 1 8 — 2 0 . 7 . 2 3 . 2 . 3 8 — 1 8 . 8 . 0 . 3 8 . 6 . 8 . 1 8 — 2 8 . 6 . . 3 6 . 1 6 . 8 — 3 . 7 — 4 . 3 8 . 1 1 . 2 9 . 9 — 1 . 1 5 - 3 . 3 . 1 5 . 1 8 . 2 4 . 8 . 3 2 .

9 F W