Market Hill – PT2 – HINTS: Torn Letter (online evidence)

Before proceeding with these hints here we advise you to complete the hints trail for ‘59200/2’ and ‘Agent X’

You may remember the torn letter from the online evidence in Part 1, and since then, we have received new evidence in Part 2 linking back to the torn letter. Read the AIA Telex Sent DEC 1 1965.

Take note of the message at the bottom of the Telex. The wording matches that of the torn letter in the online evidence from Part 1. The letter at the bottom of the AIA Telex SENT DEC 1, 1965, is “the clue to cracking this month’s cipher”. We need to understand how to crack the cypher! Using the torn letter from the online evidence, are you able to find any clues to start decoding the letter? Take note of the handwritten red letters.

Looking at the torn letter, the alphabet is handwritten in chronological order against every word in the main paragraph. Unfortunately, due to the tears in the paper, we are not able to see what each letter of the alphabet has been assigned against. Apply this logic to the AIA Telex SENT DEC 1, 1965 to see if you can assign a letter of the alphabet to each word in the paragraph.

The red letters are labelled (in chronological order, from A-Z) against the first letter of each word in the main paragraph! E.G. A – Victoria, B – Mite, C – Live…. Now that we are able to see the full letter, (in the Telex) and not just the torn version that is missing parts, we can put together a cypher!

Here is the cypher:

Now that we have decoded the letter we need to look for more clues on how 59200/2 (Randall) would convey a message. Read the Art Gazing magazine found in the online evidence.

The interview with Rachel Wiseman gives us a clue as to how Randall liked to hide messages in the form of an acrostic, a word puzzle in which the first letter (or syllable, or word) of each new line spells out a word. Rachel also gives us a clue as to where he hid these messages – “he used to love hiding messages in his weekly column for the New York Star & Globe”. Turn your attention back to the AIA Telex Sent DEC 13, 1965.

This urgent Telex sent to the AIA states how 59200/2 (Randall) would communicate with his KGB superiors – “….59200/2 would attempt to convey this news if he ever discovered Agent X betrayed him. We have uncovered a message 59200/2 sent to his superiors. Although his message would’ve been read by thousands of people, only his superiors would’ve known what it meant”. 59200/2 (Randall) was a journalist, could he be using the newspaper as a way of relaying a message to the KGB? Read Randall’s Weekly Column Page in the New York Star & Globe dated Monday, December 13, 1965.

At first glance, an acrostic doesn’t seem to be visible in his column. Try applying the cypher to the first letter of each word in the column.

When applying the cypher to Randall’s column acrostic, e.g. Keeping = T, great = O, the = N, fighting = Y, we get the following message.

“TONYISAMOLEHESTILLHASAGENTLIST/1ALIPRINCE/2MIKEMAXWELL/3CHARLESUNGAR/4JORDANBROOKS”

By adding spaces in the correct areas we get:

TONY IS A MOLE HE STILL HAS AGENT LIST /1 ALI PRINCE /2 MIKE MAXWELL /3 CHARLES UNGAR /4 JORDAN BROOKS

59200/2 (Randall) has blown the cover of all the agents in the Market Hill area!  59200/2 (Randall) has also given away his true identity – /2 MIKE MAXWELL