" 340 Code " Shocker
Zodiackiller.com Message Board
: Ciphers: " 340 Code "
Shocker
Hello all,
Enclosed is my possible solution to the "340 Code". The shocking thing i ask is
this- Where is the rest of it ? ( In my possible solution, the code breaks off mid-word on
the last line. ) Perhaps the SFPD is holding on to the last four lines of code as a
"key" to the killer. I added punctuation where I thought it would go. Anyway, i
hope this helps + sheds light. Sincerely,
PAX1222@aol.com
HELLO, HERE IS A CRAZY XMAS TREET(sic?), O ALBATROSS. I SLAY A LOT. CORNERSTONE RETRO TO A
SET. I GET ANGRY SO FEAR LIL TOMB TROPHY, IN DEATH WEATHER. MY SLAYINGS HAVE GROWN. THE
EIGHTH ONE I DATED. I SHALL TRY HARDER SOON. AVERLY ALLEGES THAT I KILL PUSHERS HERE.
LIAR. IF I LET GO, SISSY, I SHALL RATHER DO MY THING. I SHALL MULTIPLY BAD PASSIONS THAT
BIRTH. LET'S RAGE. ALBATROSS COAST. I CHOSE EIGTH (sic?) ACTION YOUN (sic?). GET AVERLY'S
ATTENTION. ILLUSTRA- ( code breaks off here on line 20 )
Curious, how did you come up with this?
Kevin
Pax,
Your solution sounds like a solution coming from Robert Graysmith LOL
Eduard Versluijs
Eduard, unless you understand his methods, how can you ridicule Pax?
So do you have a worksheet you could post for us, Pax? I'm curious.
If nothing else, you have Zodiac's literary style down pat--you know, "I took some
really bad drugs today and now I'm going to ramble maniacally at you."
Other albatross references I can think of: Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient
Mariner", and Baudelaire's poem, which includes the line (in the translation I have)
"The Poet is like this monarch of the clouds riding the storm above the marksman's
range".
Baudelaire was known as "the poet of sickness and evil," and his work as
representing depravity and vice. His most famous volume of poetry is called "Flowers
of Evil."
Anyway...
Actually, Julia "rambling" isn't Zodiac's style at all. Rather, it's the
style of people who think they know his style.
Hello, all. This possible solution was like doing a crossword puzzle upside down in a
wind tunnel !!! some of the lines came before others , I believe the Zodiac wrote this
code out of sequence to confound everyone. When I saw the word break off in the bottom
line, i knew i was onto something. I can't duplicate the key unless i have access to a
symbols chart, but i have it in my notes, i will be happy to send off a copy to you if you
are interested. I want this man caught, as you all do..... Sincerely, PAX1222@aol.com
Hello all, again perhaps i could send this to Mr. Voight at the address posted on the
front page of the site i can make copies of the key
(which was a pain in the neck ) and maybe it can surface that way PAX1222@aol.com
here i go again darn it ! I called California Board of Tourism and asked if there was
such a place as the "Albatross Coast." negative results. i thought this was a
location clue related to a possible victim of zodiac. I read the Picasso reference, which
blew me out of the water, as i looked at the Ancient Mariner rhyme and found nothing. In
so far as Mr. Graysmith, I respect him, he did pioneer this in the hopes of us all ---- to
get the bad guy PAX1222@aol.com
Hi Pax,
There are some "ASCII versions" of the 340 cypher available on the site (Zodiac
symbols substituted with easy keyboard symbols). Using one of these for your
"solution keys" would be the best way to post it.
- Jeff
Tom,
I wasn't ridiculing Pax I was in fact ridiculing Graysmith but I now see how you could
read it otherwise. Pax I owe you an appology. Pax, my message was never intended to be a
bash at you or your work.
Eduard Versluijs
The Netherlands
P.S. Only 2 months untill my 70-pages long manuscript about Zodiac will be downladable for
free from the internet (it deals with the solution to the 340 and 13-codes)
Hi Pax,
I've written a simple program that reads in the cipher in text format (using the ascii
version found on this site) and then allows me to make substitutions. I can't seem to get
your solution to work though? I've tried including and excluding the punctuation but it
seems to break down by the time I get to XMas. With or without punctuation, this part of
the cipher repeats the "p" (Ascii version of the symbol), which is used as the O
in Hello. Does your solution involve more than substitution?
- Jeff
hey jeff, do you think i could get a copy of that software you made? sounds usefull.
I'm also curious as to how pax came to his solution eventho it seems too Graysmith-ish for
me...
Hello all, The solution worked for me in a two-fold manner . I have the original key
which broke open only some of the lines of text then i experimented with other symbols and
codes.I followed the path that the Hardens set when they solved the first code , namely
finding numerous substitutions for letters ("E" for instance). So I knew that
he, the zodiac, would also use multiple substitutions. And no, (grinning) I didnt hold the
code up to a mirror to get it ( tried it that way as well as upside down; this only seems
to work for Beatle Paul McCartney death clues i am afraid ) Jeff, I think that my possible
solution does use more in so far as there are numerous symbols and letters that zodiac
used to stand for others, some of the subs were only for one letter and not used again.
Eduard, no offense taken. If we all as I think we are of a same mind then it is to solve
this mystery and lay it to rest. I did send off a copy of the 340 code possible solution
to Mr. Graysmith some time ago. I am uncertain if he was able to get to it or even if it
got mailed there. My best shot seems to be to send off the notes and explanations to Mr.
V. Sincerely PAX1222@aol.com
Hi Scream,
I'll try and put together a "user friendly" version. I can e-mail it to you as
an attachment when I get it ready. Or, if there are a number of people who would like a
copy, maybe Tom would consider making it available from his site?
Hi Pax,
Ok. I figured that you must allow multiple letters for the same symbol (which, by the way,
my program doesn't allow for). Just wanted to make sure on that.
- Jeff
Dear Jeff, i can send the keys to you via regular mail as my fffing scanner wont
work....I can make copies for you . If this is not desirable, i will mail the pages off to
Mr. Voigt, using the address he has on the site. i tried to do this by lining up the
numbers but it came out bass-ackwards... PAX1222@aol.com
Hello all, i will attempt to put the code lined up with the numbers, ok ? here goes,
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
1 h e l l o h e r e i s a c r a z y
2 x m a s t t r e e t o a l b a t o
3 s s i s l a y a l o t c o r n e r
4 s t o n e r e t r o t o a s e t i
5 g e t a n g r y s o f e a r l i l
6 t o m b t r o p h y i n d e a t h
7 w e a t h e r m y s l a y i n g s
8 h a v e g r o w n t h e e i g h t
9 h o n e i d a t e d i s h a l l t
10 r y h a r d e r s o o n a v e r l
11 y a l l e g e s t h a t i k i l l
12 p u s h e r s h e r e l i a r i f
13 i l e t g o s i s s y i s h a l l
14 r a t h e r d o m y t h i n g i s
15 h a l l m u l t i p l y b a d p a
16 s s i o n s t h a t b i r t h l e
17 t s r a g e a l b a t r o s s c o
18 a s t i c h o s e e i g t h a c t
19 i o n y o u n g e t a v e r l y s
20 a t t e n t i o n i l l u s t r a-----
---Code breaks off.
Like i said, a tough code.............I hope this breaks it down even further for
everyone. Sincerely, PAX1222@aol.com
Looking to save myself some trouble here first Pax.Is what you have given us here a
straightforward letter for symbol swap?.In other words a straight reading.Or has there
been some anagramming/other involved?
Thanks
don't know if this is a coincidence, but the navy and coast guard used to have a plane
the HU-16 albatross made by Gumman. Since there has been speculation that Z had milatary
experience, perhaps Albatross Caost is the Coat Gaurds plane called the Albatross. Here is
a link with more info.
http://www.dyess.af.mil/airpark/hu-16e.htm
Interesting that "Averly" is mispelled like on the Z holloween message.
Pax,
The late Zodiac expert Dave Peterson sent a police copy of the 340 to me many years ago
and the Z circle/cross along with S.F.P.D.s 'stamp'is just below the final line of
characters and the copy is just as you find in GS's Zodiac book.Peterson believed it was
the cipher in its entirety.I find no break or unfinished code set.
I have had contact with code experts that have had Zodiac cipher/solutions submitted to
them over the years-and their number has grown-but, so have the turn downs of purported
solutions as being verifiable solutions.Some have been quite ingenius,but fail under
strict detailed analysis.One thing has been prominent-the code people have told me that
all of the solution people (this is fine-I say keep it up) say the code expert'just didn't
understand their solution',etc.- and 'to check further!'Human nature,I guess.
Good friend Lapumo,hello!How do feel about the claim the code is unfinished or has a break
at the end?I don't see it,but doesn't mean it ain't there.What's your position on
Paxs'dedicated work?We gotta; e mail again.See ya at the pub for darts! rh
Weisguy,
There is also an Albatross award one can receive in the Coast Guard.Click google and
albatross-ya probably did already.I am not saying I agree that this word is even in the
340.There are so many "solutions" to this code, I don't think we can affirm it
is correct.But,All comers are welcome - this is freedom of expression,which is always
good.
Hi Howard,
Pax needs to supply alot more information.
This breaks down at the first repeated symbol.The "reverse P" (Rp)is in position
5 and repeated at position 19. Therefore "Rp" equals O in position 5 and M in
position 19.
Working backward from the last line Rp equals T.
That's three different values for the same symbol,without looking any further.
We can't evaluate this without him telling us what he did.
Talk soon.
Pax,
What would help here is for you to supply the unedited version of your solution.Just as
you have done above but before you arranged everything in the order you think it should
go.
Convert each symbol to a letter and leave it at that.It really is pointless discussing the
finished text until such time as we can verify it actually exists.
Instead of posting off copies, another alternative would be to convert each symbol as it
appears in original form to a number and then give us its value.
Example; the first three symbols of the code are H,E,R convert to 1,2,and 3 and tell us
what each number corresponds to.
If we take your finished version above then 1=H,
2=E,3=L etc.
Hope this helps
hello all,
Dear howard,
I read that you received a copy of the" 340 code". In my possible solution, it
is not complete. There is precedence for this; in Graysmith's book "Zodiac
Unmasked" there was a phrase that went like this "all i had to do was spray
them----" it was later amended and this was added on "like a hose" or
similar words to that effect. My point is, this information, from a zodiac letter, was
held back from the public for years. It is a possibility that other info from the zodiac
letters is being held onto as well.
Sincerely, PAX1222@aol.com
"It is a possibility that other info from the zodiac letters is being held onto
as well."
Pax, considering all of the letters are reproduced here at Zodiackiller.com, maybe you
could explain how that would be possible?
Hello Mr. Voigt,
I am sorry. I checked the August 69 letter and there it was. I went off on the wrong path.
What i meant to point out was this; on page 118 of Graysmith's book, "zodiac
unmasked" , it clearly states this : " spray them." Here, Toschi came to
the remainder of this last sentence, one that he and Armstrong HAD ORDERED THE PRESS NOT
TO PRINT......etc. Here, I saw that at least this part of the letter was being suppressed,
with the police and press co-operating with one another.... I should have looked this up
first, so i could be exact with it. Again, sorry. Sincerely, PAX1222@aol.com
Pax,
I have a complete copy of the 340 just as it was given to Peterson from a excellent source
at the time.
As Tom indicates, everything is presented on his site in its totality.He worked very hard
over the years to obtain uncensored documents,much to his credit.The posters benefit from
his labors-and zollars spent!
At one time they did suppress certain portions of letters,but the codes were
published-including the 340, in full, in hopes of someone cracking them.
Over time, as each letter was acquired by people like Tom and published,it was no longer a
partial playing field as regards Z documents.
Dear Howard,
Thanx for the letter. I think it still remains to be seen whether or not my possible
answer is the one zodiac wrote. See, I think zodiac likes confusion and these codes are a
part of that. My desire was to solve it and crack it wide open for all to see.
Disagreement is fine with me, it shows we are all brainstorming on our feet. Sincerely, PAX1222@aol.com
Pax,
As I keep saying,we need differing views,so no problem.
Pax wrote:"My desire was to solve it and crack it wide open for all to see".
That's fine Pax,however the problem is that we have seen numerous "solutions" to
this cipher already.What your effort appears to have going for it is that you seem to have
been able to use all of the symbols,which many of the others (Eric's aside)have not been
able to do.The incorrect spelling of Avery(Averly)is also interesting, along with
"break".What is most interesting is your claim that some lines came before
others.
However,there is no way this can be discussed in any meaningful way until such time as we
are can verify that it actually exists.If that's something you are interested in doing,you
need to post the "Raw" version(Where the cipher is laid out in it's original
decrypted form where letters correspond to symbols).
If that's not something you are willing to do,just please tell us.
http://www.goldcoastregion.com/albatross.html
Hello all,
I prepared the answer keys and the grids. I mailed them off today. It should reach Mr.
Voigt tomorrow (Saturday ). Again, I hope it sheds light on this area. Sincerely, PAX1222@aol.com
Hello all,
I verified the mail, through UPS.com. It arrived in the mail to Mr. Voigt's site address
on this date.
I came up with two keys and two grids.
The theory i have regarding the four lines missing is this- In the three-part cipher (the
Hardens' code ), zodiac's full communication, when added up, equaled a total of 17 lines
across, 24 lines down. In the "340 code", we see 17 lines across, but only 20
down. Hence, my theory that four lines may have been held back. Sincerely, PAX1222@aol.com
Pax,
Your solution at first glance looks much more creadible than that of Graysmith's. I urge
you to establish contact with some experts in the field of decoding and ciphers.
Maybe Lapumo can help you out with this? he has spend time on the code as well and has
established good contacts in that field.
It is not impossible that Zodiac would finish his message in mid sentence. His first
cipher included 18 letters that don't make any sense. Most people think this was just to
fill out the cipher, and give it the look that he wanted. Why wouldn't he stop mid
sentence to do the same thing, or even to purposefully confuse people?
In Pax's translation, could the first line be
"Here is a crazy Xmas tree to Albatross." Just a thought.
Hello all,
I thank you for the continued input. I have taken steps with the code. I hope these steps
turn into positive strides.
Sincerely, PAX1222@aol.com
Ray,
I agree with you on this subject....
What would be the challenge for Zodiac to write a code with nothing in it?
If he DID put a message in the code (like I believe), he had the exciting feeling of
knowing how the code worked and that someone would try to break this unbreakable code.
Already mensioned by someone else: Why the correction in the 340 code if it wasn't needed
(no message?). It wouldn't make sense (or you must say that it was made to make it look as
if a message was in it)!
Why didn't Zodiac started all over but left the correction in the code when he send it?
Could it be there is a hidden clue behind it not discovered yet? If so that might be an
indication that there can be a message in it.
When Harden solved the code Zodiac probably was upset by it being solved so quickly.
He was probably damaged in his honor and made the next codes more "Crackproof"
than the first one.
Let's face it, Zodiac certainly had a too big ego for just writing nothing in the code.
Eduard Versluijs
P.S. Yes, I know this is just speculation... 
Or the 340 cipher is needed to break the 13 character code....
Keep in mind ,that in a FBI report that Dave Peterson sent to me, they have the
following for the 13 symbol "My name is...":Adam Shanahan,Adam Granahan,Adam
Flanagan and Gemini after each solution or name!See my posts by clicking shanahan.
Note:on this Board alone,there have been several solutions proposed as per the
Archives.This includes the 340 and the map code.
Also,Zodiac seems enamored with the occultic number 13.Check out all the times 13 is
connected to him or rather,he links it to himself.This is the same FBI that supposedly
disproved GS' 340 solution,which is only one of many, according to cipher experts I have
contacted.
It is interesting to note that when a cipher guy would contact the would-be code solver
,none of them would accept the refutation.They were right and he was wrong!Human nature.
It reminds me of the Gainsville.,FLA. murders.They had the 'perfect' suspect(and I mean
perfect to the max)but they happened to find Danny Rolling, a drifter.The rest is history.
Some detectives still firmly believe,in spite of overwhelming evidence,that their first
perfect suspect is the perp!
A person persuaded against their will is of the SAME opinion still.Old,but works...I fear
this applies to code solvers too,but let it continue in the interest of free and open
investigation.
Hello all,
Dear Howard,
I am indeed, a would- be code solver. I would be available to confer with a cipher guy,
regarding my possible answer to this code. Please advise me on what to do, or tell them my
e-mail address. I will respond with bells on (grinning). Sincerely, PAX1222@aol.com
If no one ever solves his ciphers what good where they? If he had a real message he
would want at least someone to figure it out. No? If he was that scared of being busted
through his ciphers he wouldn't have made them......at all....
Wasn't Melvin Belli his second choice and F. Lee Bailey his first choice of attorneys?
The Spanish word for "ALBATROSS" is "ALCATRAZ" and that ought to
ring a few nautical bells. Albatross Coast may = San Francisco?
In the july 31st 1969 letter, the third part of the cipher that was sent to the sf
examiner, was the final line ever solved? It doesnt show to be?
I, like everyone else, have my own theory on how the 340 code pans out. Personally, I
think it does contain a code that is far more sophisticated than his 3 part cipher just
for the fact that his previous one got cracked in relatively short order. Also, as I
stated earlier, he was probably pretty pissed off about that. Thinking he's sooo smart,
and bang! Someone school teacher slaps some reality into him. The 340 obviously has some
multi-deciphering to overcome.
All that said, if someone here does, in fact, crack the cipher, that translation could
potentially be worth millions of dollars. Placing an open solution on a BBS like this
might very well be releasing any and all rights the solver may have to it. I know, for
myself anyway, that I will first send a solution off for a federal copyright and to the
writer's guild registrar before placing any solution I may have into the public domain. No
newspaper, television, or other media outlet will be able to print or use the solution
without paying royalties. Now those royalties may not be personal, they can be donated to
a general victim's fund of which many exist or to create a new watchdog group which help
with rewards to capture serial killers. Again, just my two cents.
Just some questions concening the great 340 cipher.In gaining an historical
perspective and a fuller concept of the 340, do we have an historical background to
ascertain the probability of what could be revealed in a decoded 340?In this case it is
affirmative.
We can point to and study the contents of Code I.
What do we discover when we analyize its message?
Does this Harden decode job lead us to the killer?Did we really get a literal name as Z
promised?Does knowing that he 'enjoys killing' and that when he is 'reborn in paradise all
of those he killed will be his slaves' help us solve the case?Up to this time has it
solved the case through any earth shaking revelations?Now,considering this and any other
questions we may have,can we,based on a known historical manifestation or Code I,really
expect that the then future Code II, would have clues leading to Zodiacs door as it
were?Case solution is primary here.
Will all of this help with a background of the author?Of course,but most reject much of
what Zodiac recounts(2 kills in August '69,KJ and CB as victims,man shot with .38,he
believes in slaves in afterlife,used astrology,etc.,etc.) in his missives,unless he refers
to known historical facts.Big problems here?
Just questions OK?FYI Time
You make a good point Howard. I am doubtful that there is anything in the code which
will lead us to Zodiac's doorstep. Still, it would be very interesting to know what it
says.
Bargle,
Wait.I just finished deciphering the 340!Ready?
I likee nedling the city piggs-it is so much funn...when I an reborn in paradise I can kep
them in a large space to use deep het on them...Ed and Tom are smart but I am much beeter
and even smarter than them...I live at 666 Morton WAy with my mom in Toculac lake-hey you
pigs drop in sometime...I am sleeping around 7:00 and there is an alley they can catch me
after abot two minuts,bit I have been to clever for them I won't be home...And my name is
Jeffery smith jr...ss #444-567-3409...toschi the hippi pig cop...
I would,anotherwords,expect more of the same nonsense.Z wasn't into giving his name as per
his first code and he signed a letter "No address."I think he MEANT it and he
used anti detection methods to make certain,in his mind, he would not be caught.He boasted
about being more clever than the police and that he was crack proof- and that they would
never catch him-until,of course,some code breaker finds his name and address in the 340!It
was an obvious ploy to attract and obtain publicity.Z wanted Code I on the FRONT page and
he even said as to WHEN,August first (an old Norse holiday Lammas FYI).
And if anyone believes the so called map code tells where he set up his "death
machine' AND that it actually existed at that place, then I have this beachfront property
in Iowa.Nothing down too!Just having some fun!I hope the decoding goes on with much
success.
And My name is...just too rich for words!
He demanded it to be so or he would kill 12 people !It worked.As Kelleher says in his book
,Zodiac was an excellent PR man,yer person!
LOL Howard!!
In case I missed it......Today are law enforcement, military, code breakers activly
trying to solve the code?
Or just people with interest like you and I? It seems technolegy has come leaps and bounds
and that they would have some program of sorts to put the code into the system and run
every possibility. Or is it still just not that important to everybody to try to solve
this thing?
Just curious......
Howard,LOL ! I missed you sooo much at the last meeting, I hope you will make it up
this way soon?
John Pruit,As far as I can tell they have other things more important to do. When they
get caught up and nothing else to do, maybe then they will take another look at it. I have
taken boxes of Krispy Kream's with a copy of the code at the bottom of the box, and have
not heard a word yet.
Hello all,
Is there a way to check if I am correct in that 4 lines may be missing from the 340 code ?
Is it possible to speak with Ins. Toschi ? Or is it a maze again ?
Sincerely, PAX1222@aol.com
Tom,
What's the story with Pax's code key? He says you have received it. Do you in fact have
anything from this person? If so, what is it?
Ray
Ray, yes, I received it. He's welcome to post it. I'm the wrong guy to give an opinion
on its validity -- codes aren't my thing.
Hello all,
Enclosed is the first answer key I came up with. First, I'll do the letter substitutions,
then the symbol subs as best as I can. (scanner is out of order) Okay, then :
A= A,G,U/ C= C,L/ D=T/ E=E,H,P,R/ F=F/ G=A,L/ H=E,H/ J=H,L,R/ K=T/ L=G,O,R,X/ M=R,T/
N=I,N/ O=L,O,S,W/ P=E/ R=E,J,L,M,T,V/ S=O,S/ T=D,K,R,T/ V=Y/ W=O/ X=L/ Y=F,H,V/ Z=I
Sincerely, PAX1222@aol.com
Part 2 of the "340 Code":
Enclosed are now the symbol substitutions that I had for this code.
A=plus sign, backwards B, letter V turned to the left/ B=upsidedown V/ D=filled-in square,
filled-in circle/ E=filled-in circle, circle with top half filled-in, square with lower
right side filled in, upsidedown V, triangle/ F=backwards Y, letter V turned to the left/
G=anchor-shaped symbol/ H=backwards Q, square with lower left side filled in, circle with
vertical line drawn thru center, backwards Y, backwards L, right-slanted line/ I= dot,
backwards K, squiggly X with dot on right side/ L= right-slanted line, triangle filled-in,
letter V turned to the left, circle with left side filled-in/ N= zodiac sign with
filled-in circle, triangle with dot in center/ O= square filled-in, number 9, circle with
right side filled-in/ P= long dash/ Q= no symbol/ R= squiggly X with dot on left side,
backwards J, backwards F/ S= backwards B, straight line vertical, backwards C, circle
filled-in/ T= circle with horizontal line thru center, number 9/ U= letter V turned to the
right/ W= square filled-in/ Y= backwards D, square with lower left side filled-in/ Z=
circle with top half filled-in
Sincerely, PAX1222@aol.com
Part 3 of the "340 code"
Enclosed were the partial possible breaks I found in this code using the aforementioned
key and some guessing. Here goes:
Line 1- Hello here is a crazy ( symbols 1-17)
Line 3- a lot corner ( symbols 9-17)
Line 4- stone ( symbols 1-5)
Line 5- get angry ( symbols 1-8) fear (symbols 11-14)
Line 6- tomb trophy (symbols 1-10)
Line 7- weather (symbols 1-7) slayings (symbols 10-17)
Line 9- shall (symbols 12-16)
Line11- alleges that (symbols 2-12)
Line12- pushers here (symbols 1-11)
Line13- shall (symbols 13-17)
Lines 14,15,16,17- i shall (line 15 symbols 16+17; line 16 symbols 1-4) multiply bad pa-
(line 15 symbols 1-17) ssions that birth le- (line 16 symbols 1-17) ts rage ( line 17
symbols 1-6)
Line19- young ( symbols 4-8)
Line20- attention illustra ( symbols 1-17 )
So, here we have some possible partial breaks in this code. Sincerely, PAX1222@aol.com
Oh, and thanks to Mr. Voigt for letting me post this and apologies to those who
emailed me wanting the key for the code. PAX
I'm sorry Pax,this does not check out,at least by any standard that I have ever seen.
The first problem here, is that in many instances,you have the same symbols representing
different letters.That in and of itself is not cause for dismissal as Zodiac could have
used a Polyalphabetical encryption method .However you would have to show structure here
and given "your" overall solution that is neither evident or likely IMHO.
As an example I will take the first five symbols
H,E,R,>,9. You have used these to spell HELLO.
However as these symbols are used to represent different letters in other parts of the
cipher what you have is H=(H,E,Y),E=(E,H,P,R),R=(E,J,L,M,T),>= (L,A,F) 9=(O,T).
As you can see HELLO is only one possible solution
and while the most likely in this instance,it cannot be chosen on that basis unless you
can show design,not only in this instance but throughout the cipher.
The second time the symbol "H" appears is at the end of line three.Here you have
it representing an "E" And the third and last time is on the last line where it
again represents an "E".
When you use like symbols to represent different letters it means that the encipherment
technique is polyalphabetical as opposed to Monoalphabetical
(such as the first cipher).
A typical example of a polyalphabet would be a Vigenere cipher.This is one that would use
a keyword and one that would allow you to work backwards,to discover what that keyword
was,thus proving design.
The next problem I see is the "+" symbol which represents A.In three instances
within the cipher we have a double "++",yet your solution shows no
"AA".Again not cause for dismissal in and of itself.It could well be that any
double could be intended as a single.It would not surprise me at all to find that Zodiac
would have done so here.
However at this stage we need to know more as to how you accounted for this.
You have the letter "I" represented by "dot, backwards K and squiggly X
with the dot on the right hand side(three symbols).In total the "dot"
appears 6 times, the backwards K 5 times and the squiggly X once. A total of 12. However a
count of the "I's" in you solution puts that firgure at 20!
Finally,(I stand to be corrected) it appears you have not accounted for all 65 symbols.
At this stage Pax,I would have to say that this does not look or feel right,but that's
just my opinion.There are still some positives though,but we need to know a bit more.The
best way to examine this in a bit more depth would be for you to repeat the format you
outlined earlier on this thread, on June 6th.Instead of providing your polished solution
though just give each symbol a letter wherever they fall and lay it out accordingly.
In short,we would need to examine this in its "raw" form. It does not matter nor
take from a valid solution because there are apparent errors. Providing a cleaned up
version at this stage is counter-productive in that it does not allow us to check the
exact encryption technique(if one exists).
Hello all,
My opinion regarding the answer key is for example, sometimes A stood for A, A stood for
another letter and A stood for a symbol...Applied to the code it would be clearer. So-
This key is answer key number 1...Subsequent work on it also added other letters to fill
out the words Tomb Trophy(Line 6) for example, and to fill in the two symbols between
Weather -- Slayings (Line 7) I guessed that the two symbols would be the word "
My" So this added two more symbols to the key. If you would, get or make a copy of
the "340 code" in a grid, and number it across 1-17 and then down 1-20. Leave
space under the symbols so you have room. Then fill in the words I have given you they
correspond to the line number and the symbol number. Then you can go from there. I will
post it this way so it may be clearer to understand.
Sincerely, PAX122@aol.com
Ok, onwards-
1- HELLOHEREISACRAZY
2- *****************
3- ***********CORNER
4- STONE************
5- GETANGRY*********
6- TOMBTROPHY*******
7- WEATHER**SLAYINGS
8- *****************
9- ***********SHALL*
10- *****************
11- *ALLEGESTHAT*****
12- PUSHERSHERE******
13- ************SHALL
14- ***************IS
15- HALLMULTIPLYBADPA
16- SSIONSTHATBIRTHLE
17- TSRAGE***********
18- *****************
19- ***YOUNG*********
20- ATTENTIONILLUSTRA
The across count goes to 17. These were the words that I got. The star symbols are the
unknowns at this time.(I filled in words through guesswork and the use of my key) If a
grid is done and you fill in these words, it will become much clearer. (it did to me,
anyways)
Also, the letter P filled in appears twice, on line 5; symbol 14 and then on line 12;
symbol 15.....I guessed at this and named it the letter R.......the plus sign ultimately
stood for A, I, and S.....to me.
The circle with the top filled in on line 7(symbol 8) I guessed as being M.Then it was
easy to say that the next symbol, letter U (same line; symbol number 9)was in fact letter
Y....These formed the word MY...To me it fit, as zodiac seems to love to speak about
himself all the time.
I stand by what i came up with.
I deem it a definite break in the "340 code"
Sincerely, PAX1222@aol.com
Oh, I am not a lunatic, nor am I the zodiac.... PAX (Mike) grinning.......
PAX,
I think what you're missing is that there is no misunderstanding of what you are claiming.
But as Lapumo has illustrated, a polyalphabetic cipher has to have some structure,
otherwise it is not a cipher. In order to even come close to such a key, you would have to
show the algorithm (method) by which one symbol cycles between letters. Otherwise what we
would have is a key that cannot be substantiated and therefore no message it uncovers can
be verified. The way you have it now, there is no explanation of why certain symbols
represent certain letters, how that transposition is determined, or what the method is for
cycling the substitutions. (In other words, the logical sequence that a computer would use
to run through the billions of possible combinations that you seem to have done without.)
Without such an explanation, one is left to wonder how the key was established in the
first place. The simplest explanation would be that the key was matched to plaintext that
was simply guessed at or approximated. Putting the key together like that is getting the
cart before the horse. You will simply never be able to reconcile any messages or keys
developed in this manner. Although I salute your efforts, I'm afraid you're on the wrong
track here. Perhaps if you successfully clarified the exact procedures you used to
establish the key, we could be more receptive. In other words, instead of giving us the
key, tell us how you developed it.
As an example, you note that you expect there to be more to the message, in fact, you
expect there to be 4 more lines that are "missing". This statement speaks to the
heart of our arguments, in that what you have now is broken and not particularly
intelligible. That can be safely stated. But you go on to predict 4 more lines. As if you
already have an idea of what those 4 lines are going to say before you have seen them,
based on nothing more than sporadic, unintelligible ramble. If on one hand we were looking
at "form a more perfect union establish justice", we might guess that
"insure domestic tranquility" might follow. But no such predictions can be made
for "IS HALL MULTIPLY BAD PASSIONS THAT BIRTH LETS RAGE". Simply put, this
further suggests to me you are not following a legitimate method of decryption.
I hope these criticisms are taken constructively, that is most assuredly how they are
offered. The best advice I can give you is don't quit trying.
Ray
Thanks Mike that is much clearer.
Pax/Mike,
It is now clear how you approached this.You have done all that anyone one of us can;that
is to go in here and hope we get lucky enough to match up a couple of symbol strings to
coherent text and try to match things up from there.I was under the impression that you
had a list of words that were an exact match in some places.In other words,one letter to
one symbol.
That is indeed what you may have started with or thought you had.What I'm guessing then
happened is that in attempting to match these symbols elsewhere you got what appeared to
be a few partical words or strings that looked like partial words.
However this is where I suggest you made a mistake.You were unable to complete these words
without giving symbols more than one value.
In choosing to continue you got another couple of words that appeared legitimate and so on
until you have what appears to look like a significant portion of the cipher solved.
It would not be fair to say that you should have stopped as soon as you had to attribute
extra values to same symbols.It's not a case of this cipher not being polyalphabetical in
design it may prove to be,however this is where the early error made things look a little
more interesting than they actually were.You at least had to go that extra step just in
case.However you are now at the point where only so much fits.Proceeding from here is only
going to produce more and more gibberish or you are going to have to give each symbol more
and more values.
If you were on the right track with these words there would be enough repitions there
already to hint that a keyword might be at play.However that does not appear to be the
case.It appears most likely that your initial guesses were wrong.
Just to give you an example in taking the first two lines of the cipher.Out of 34 symbols
33 of them are different.Therefore you could make up just about anything you liked. I am
sure you could then "find" another few words based on these
throughout the rest of the cipher and then another few if you decided to give symbols
different values and so on.The only way one could ever prove it correct is to find the
key.
Again its great to see someone with the patience and interest to have a go here,all I can
say is keep it up.
Dear Ed and Lapumo,
My approach was this: I thought that zodiac had an original key and then he played around
with the symbols and letters in that key as an addition to throw off code-breakers. I know
he loved alliteration in his letters so I looked for it in the code. You see, the first
line broke (to me) completely, then I had problems with some of the subsequent lines. So I
jumped around and here and there could be seen words. It seems that the most important
letters (to zodiac) had the most subs to them. But I know he had to have stopped at a
point, because, if every symbol equals every letter, then anything could be plugged in.
Possible partial solution ? I hope so. And the feedback is tremendous, thanks to all....
Sincerely, PAX1222@aol.com
Dear Ray, Sorry meant to address you and Lapumo. I addressed Ed instead. Oops ! The
only criteria I have for possibly 4 lines missing is two-fold: 1. the Hardens' code was 17
across, 24 down. The "340 code" is 17 across, only 20 down. 2. In the possible
break, the last word on line 20 seems to be a variation on illustrate, illustration and so
on. Beyond this, barring anyone associated with the zodiac investigation confirming it, is
not known at this time. Sincerely, PAX1222@aol.com
Pax,
Your efforts on solving this cipher are to be commended. Regarding your methods:
1.) I deem it a definite break in the "340 code"
I deem it an INdefinite break.
I agree with everything Lapumo said in criticizing your method. You can't simply employ
one new alphabet after another (A = B, then A = R, then A= E, etc.) without some system
(like Vigenere). To do so one could literally get anything out of the 340 cipher,
including the Gettysburg Address.
2.) To simplify your life you may wish to use an ASCII representation of the cipher,
rather than words like "squiggly X with the dot on the right hand side" one such
representation can be found here
This will enable you to communicate your solution using a simple 63 character KEY.
3.) To see how robust your methods are, please first solve the much easier cipher proposed
by Ray
but not yet solved. This has the distict advantage that the solution is known (to at least
one person) and can be checked. Anyone capable of solving the 340 will be able to solve
Ray's cipher without much trouble.
Keep up the good efforts. -obiwan
Lapumo, Ray: What about making a FAQ (Frequently Asked Question list) for the ciphers,
especially for would-be solvers? Perhaps Tom could devote a section of this site to FAQ's.
There is a pool of effort and interest in solving the ciphers that should be channeled.
Unfortunately I'm not up to the task right now.
Kendra amazed me with the partial keys she sent me for my cipher. She had about 10 or
12 letters grouped with most of their symbols correctly. Not only that, she didn't have a
single one wrong. She almost had enough to solve the secondary codes. I was really
scratching my head for a while. Then I didn't hear from her anymore. Point being, this is
a very solvable cipher, and/or Kendra is an amazing codebreaker!
Pax wrote "The first line broke(to me )completley
then I had problems with some of the subsequent lines"
This is the point I was making.As the first line contains 17 different symbols it is
possible to
put just about anything you like in there.
I think its much better to start in strings where symbols are repeated.
Actually I have often wondered if we might be better off excluding the first five or six
lines to begin with.
Zodiac uses something like 55 different symbols in the first few lines. Effectively he was
in charge here and dictating how and where the symbols were used.After that though, there
is evidence of sequencing, in other words the underlying message was dictating the order
of symbols.
Obiwan,that's not a bad idea, its up to Tom.
I'm sure we all have some material and ideas that we have been working on independently.
I'd like to see an FAQ on the cipher(s). If there is one started, could it be put in
the public section so everyone can contribute and ask questions? I've been trying my hand
at the 340 for a few weeks and haven't gotten anywhere. Having no repeated symbols in the
first line makes it very difficult to use it as a starting point. I think it would help if
we could bounce ideas off each other.
I've tried plugging in the values from the three-part, and got an interesting result
on line two, which deciphers as:
EEELNLNLNEU**SDH [*=no equivalent in three-part]
To my way of thinking, this is far too many "E" and "LN" combinations
to pass simply as coincidence. I'm thinking that perhaps the solution set to the 340 has
some relationship with the three-part.
Dear PAX:
Off the record, there are many debunking your code breaking skills, but I have to say, it
is pretty darn good. Sure it sounds convoluted, but have you eever read what Manson,
Mullin, Kemper or half the other SK from CA do for fun! I think you did a great job, while
we try to figure out another way to knock you down. This is half the problem with crimes
like these, everyone wants to be the hero. Too bad there can only be one.
Does anyone seem to notice a tremendous amount of names actually spelled out in this
cipher. Dolly, Tony, Tom, Jill??? Also, we are assuming the 340 cipher begins with
"H." It may be turned over and begin with "+" just as easily. These
letters were obviously written while the Zodiac was writing upside down or in a mirror.
Tony,
Just for the record, Pax asked both pubically and privately for opinions and comments on
his solution.Any comments made related only to his methods /solution and nobody was
attempting to "knock him down" personally.
Doug, That's interesting, is that as far as you went? Not that anyone did but I would have
assumed
your suggestion would have been among one of the first things attempted.Not that that
makes any difference. I think someone suggested one time that the last line of the first
might be a key to the 340!
A technical point that may go to determining Zodiac's sophistication in relation to
codes/ciphers.He uses both words to define what he has given us. Technically a code is
defined as substitution at a level of words or phrases, whereas a cipher is defined at a
level of letters.
I wonder if this means he did not know the difference or he used both?
Lapumo, I did the other lines as well, but nothing jumped out at me as the second one
did. There were lots of sequences that looked like they might have been anagramming, but
nothing you could really hang your hat on.
I think he used the terms "code" and "cipher" the way any uninformed
layman might, as being interchangeable.
PAX, an interesting effort so far, but the words falling into place seem to make
little sense. I've always maintained that the 340 must convey a specific plot; why would Z
risk exposure through decoding just over some random ravings? I was hoping for an exact
street address for a future killing, but instead got a weird chemical bomb threat when I
turned the message on its side. My theory is, if the 340 runs two ways rather like a
crossword puzzle, one cannot get too "creative" in substituting letters/
characters, such as A standing for several letters or even a symbol.
But, keep up your work on it, because who knows--YOU might just be the one to arrive at a
solution that can be validated.
J Eric wrote PAX, an interesting effort so far, but the words falling into place
seem to make little sense.
This is something that has bothered me about the solutions we've seen from everyone so
far. The phrasing just doesn't sound like Z's to me. In reviewing Z's known messages, I
couldn't find any place where he used 'hello' in any of his messages. It isn't impossible
that he would start this message with that word but, it strikes me as unlikely.
Tony M wrote: It may be turned over and begin with "+" just as easily.
When arranged this way the cipher ends with 'REH'.
Possibly 'Robert Emmet the Hippi" or if we take out the middle
letter 'E' we're left with 'RH', the 2 initials used as the signature on the Riverside
desktop poem.
Is this significant? Probably not, but, it just shows the kinds of stuff you can find in
this thing if you look hard enough.
Hello all,
Great feed back and many thanx for your incisive and complimentary remarks.... I am still
working on it, because it's a possible solution and i haven't quit. I think it began with
Hello, because i felt zodiac would suspect that everyone would think he would start off
with his catch-phrase, "this is the zodiac speaking." I also felt that zodiac
had to jam in some words to fit the 17 across pattern he set with the code. Now, with the
fine sharpness of the comments, I went back to work and started again this time with the
words i pulled out. Now, I know this code will not be solved by binary data (that is, its
all one thing or all another), nor by a 1-for-1 substitution code.Strangely, this research
has led me to another question. Did zodiac ever demand a ransom ? Sincerely, PAX1222@aol.com
PAX, I also think he wouldn't start with his catch phrase. He didn't use it on his
first cipher so I don't think he would on his second one. Also it isn't necessary since
the code came with one of his messages, so he didn't need to say it twice. It would waste
a lot of letters in a relatively short message and make it somewhat easy to solve. I've
been trying some of the phrases he uses just after writing 'This is the Zodiac speaking'
but, so far I haven't gotten anywhere.
Another random observation; in lines 18 and 19 there are 2 more British expressions.
'Posh' in 18 and 'yob' in 19. Again, probably no importance.
Keep at it PAX!
PAX wrote:
I think it began with Hello, because i felt zodiac would suspect that
everyone would think he would start off with his catch-phrase, "this is the zodiac
speaking."
Just curious, but did you actually try his catch-phrase and see if anything came of it?
Hello all, Dear Ed, I tried it at the bottom on line 20 no luck.......Dear Bargle,
thanx I am keeping at it, hammering away....Oh, the reason I asked about a ransom demand
was this: in the movie Dirty Harry, the killer is supposedly patterned after zodiac, right
down to the style of writing. During the movie, the killer (Andy Robinson) makes a demand
for money or he will keep killing. Made me curious. Sincerely, PAX1222@aol.com
I had tried the using the catch phrase early on when I tried to deciphering the 340. I
tried it using 3 different arrangements of the cipher.
1. The original version as sent by Z.
2. Reversed left to right.
3. Reversed left to right and top to bottom. I've been refering to this as inverted,
though I'm not sure that is the correct term. I also tried a couple of other arrangements
but I'm not sure which ones. I made up a bunch of different arrangements but, I'm
currently limiting my trials to these 3 until I feel I've exhausted their possibilities. I
couldn't get anything that took me very far. The main problem has to do with letter
frequencies and combinations. Before going further let me pass along something that may
help others working on this cipher. I did a letter count on many of the Z letters. I
mostly avoided the Mikado references he used because I felt these wouldn't be indicative
of his natural way of writing since he was paraphrasing someone else. I counted over 6600
letters and came up with these frequencies per 1000. I had to round off in places so I
don't think these add up to exactly 1000 but are a useful guide to Z's personal letter
frequency I believe.
E 123
T 96
O 83
I 82
A 72
H 63
S 63
N 62
R 45
L 35
U 33
C 30
D 30
Y 25
W 24
P 23
G 22
M 22
B 21
F 20
K 13
V 13
Z 2
J 1
Q 1
X 1
In theory the 340 cipher should have about 1/3 of these totals in the deciphered message
but, in a message as short as this, the numbers will be off somewhat I'm sure. End Part 1
And now Part 2
Trying to use "This is the Zodiac Speaking" as the starting phrase brings up
these problems.
1. The letter 'Z' comes up too often. The letter freq. list shows that 'Z' should show up
only once. Trying the phrase on each of the 3 versions I've been using has 'Z' showing up
5 times on the orig. layout, 6 times on the reversed layout, and 4 times on the inverted
layout.
In the orig. layout the + sign becomes K. The + sign occurs 24 times in the cipher, yet
the letter freq. list leads me expect to see it only about 4 times.
I also run into odd groups of letters that I can't make into sensible words. Things like
gkeo and oa_ikt.
Anyway, I think that's enough for now. Good luck and I hope this helps others.
Good work Bargle and thanks for posting.I have been working along the same lines for a
while.
The sample I took was not as large as yours,I concentrated on 10 letters that were closest
in length to the 340.
My intention was to get the average frequency breakdowns as an aid to solving the 340.Of
course as you have already pointed out this can be deceptive and we can only rely on it so
much.However it was a worthwhile exercise an did throw up a few interesting statistics.
While there were a few instances where these communications threw up a few statistics that
went against the grain,so to speak,there was a consistent pattern.(And the
"glitches" in question were explainable").
The main point being that Zodiacs english does throw up different frequency patterns when
compared against "the standard".
The accepted standard is as follows( I will only take the top 10);-
E-12.7%, T-9.1%,A-8.2%,0- 7.5%,I-7%,N-6.7%,S-6.3%,H-6.1%,R-6%,L-4%.E,T,A,O,I,N,S,H,R,L.
Zodiac however uses many shorter words and does like to talk about himself, so perhaps the
difference is understandable.
Taking the 10 communications as above the averages throw up the folowing:-
E-11.4%,I-8.7%,T-8.6%,O-8.4%,A-6.5%,H-6.1%,S-5.7%
N-5.2%,L-5.1%,R-4.3%.E,I,T,O,A,H,S,N,L,R.
We can see that the letter "i" has jumped to second place and also the high
"L" count is accounted for with he frequent use of words like, Shall,Will, Kill
etc.
Again, not something we can rely on,however if we sub these frequency statistic averages
into the 340.The letter counts would be as follows;-
E-39,I-29,T-28,O-27,A-22,H-20,S-19,N-18,L-17,R-14,
U-11,C-10,D-10,Y-9,W-8,P-7,F-6,B-5,K-4,V-3,JQXY-1 each.
That's not to say that Zodiac uses every letter in the alphabet within this cipher.It may
also be the case that the odd individual letter might have a higher or lower count
depending on the message.It might be advantageous though to look for symbols he uses only
once and try building from there.
One problem that I have always had with the cipher
solutions is why are all the solutions in a sort of choppy, staccato wordings. Zodiac's
letters were not written in this manner; therefore, if his code was 'crackproof' why not
simply encode his typical writing style????
albatross stands for a vinyl record in the u.k i have found out some very interesting
things,jmho.the dripping pen card is not a pen it looks like a whale side ways and has the
look of a ship drawn on it.tom i hope you recived my email.have not heard from you.i have
found this to be one great site.thanks tom
Due to minimal brain damage, probably caused by alcohol (started drinking when I was
eleven) I am not qualified to solve any code or cipher which involves geometry-level or
higher mathematics.
Still, I have read enough about the 340 code to have a somewhat educated opinion based
upon what others have written on the subject.
I'm still fifty-fifty concerning whether or not
the 340 code was meant to convey information, or is dressed-up gibberish. I'm beginning to
lean more toward gibberish. If it's a real code, I'd love to see it cracked, of course.
But consider one thing. (This is an extension of the general belief that even if real and
solved there will be no "smoking gun.")
The 340 code was mailed on 11/8/69. Zodiac was at his dappled, depraved pinnacle during
this time. I do not for one second think he would have risked giving away any information
in this code which would have jeopardized his freedom. No arcana, nothing. (Ignite
flame-throwers now.)
I'm sure it's been said before, but the only Zodiac ciphers which have been cracked are
the ones he wanted to be cracked. William Occam be praised! (But don't quit trying
to crack 340 or the others. I would love to see them cracked and would then gladly eat my
large share of crow
Hammer: It may well only be a matter of semantics, but plenty of Zodiac's letters seem
choppy to me. ("And I can't do a thing with it!" from the Dripping Pen card
gives me a case of the willies!) The only cipher solutions I'm aware of
are those of 7/31/69; the "Chronicle," "Examiner," and
"Times-Herald" triptych. These solved ciphers are more coherent to me than at
least half of Z's letters. Poor grammar in these solved ciphers, yes, but not difficult to
understand; they read a little like an old-fashioned telegram.