I believe the FBI did solve it first, but I can’t find the police report excerpt showing it.

Maybe I’m just remembering it wrong.

OK, I found it. The Lake Berryessa report has an October 1, 1969 entry stating the cipher was broken independently by at least two different sources:

Any trained cryptologist worth her salt would have been able to crack the 408. It’s just a more appealing narrative to say the Hardens did something the authorities could not have done.

Hi-

Sure. it says in a report that the FBI solved it. That makes it true, right? Do you think Hoover’s FBI would ever admit that the Harden’s beat them to the punch? Of course, they’d say that the had solved it and simply "confirmed" the Hardens’ solution. I don’t think that report is necessarily proof of anything.

Mike

Sure. it says in a report that the FBI solved it. That makes it true, right? Do you think Hoover’s FBI would ever admit that the Harden’s beat them to the punch? Of course, they’d say that the had solved it and simply "confirmed" the Hardens’ solution. I don’t think that report is necessarily proof of anything.

mike_r-

To me, it seems much more logical that the FBI probably did independently solve the Z408 (with no public announcement) than your odd idea that they would lie to the Vallejo police about having done so.

The FBI has never been the most open or transparent of agencies, and they certainly are not known for sending out press releases or publicizing their work. I have no doubt that we have to credit the Hardens for their quick solution, and their sending of it to the newspapers, but I don’t see any reason to doubt that the cipher was separately deciphered by others.

In fact, my personal feeling is that this "code key" was probably sent by yet another independent solver. There was no threat attached to how quickly it could be solved, and it wasn’t a race. Nor did the FBI or any police agency need to ‘save face.’

I find it no surprise at all that it was solved quickly by dedicated ‘amateurs.’ I suspect that Zodiac even hoped that to be the case. He didn’t send it to the FBI, he sent it in three parts, to three different newspapers, demanding that it be printed. He clearly wanted it to reach a wide audience.

-glurk

Oranchak might want to chime in on this, but from my amateur understanding, the shorter the code, the harder to solve. I personally think Z wanted his codes solved, and would not intentionally try to make it impossible, he had a big ego and wanted people to know what he had to say

Cant say anything about how to solve the code. Know nothing about it. I do agree he does want his codes solved. I just don’t think the remainder of the codes are going to be solved in the traditional sense. I think they will end up being rather simple codes to solve but only realized after the fact, meaning, they are so simple they are going over everyones head and thus, at present, too difficult to work. Getting my meaning? Once they are solved, the codes, are not going to reveal anything more than what the 408 revealed – garbage -in a sense.

Sorry. Sometimes the words just don’t come.

Soze

Sure. it says in a report that the FBI solved it. That makes it true, right? Do you think Hoover’s FBI would ever admit that the Harden’s beat them to the punch? Of course, they’d say that the had solved it and simply "confirmed" the Hardens’ solution. I don’t think that report is necessarily proof of anything.

mike_r-

To me, it seems much more logical that the FBI probably did independently solve the Z408 (with no public announcement) than your odd idea that they would lie to the Vallejo police about having done so.

The FBI has never been the most open or transparent of agencies, and they certainly are not known for sending out press releases or publicizing their work. I have no doubt that we have to credit the Hardens for their quick solution, and their sending of it to the newspapers, but I don’t see any reason to doubt that the cipher was separately deciphered by others.

In fact, my personal feeling is that this "code key" was probably sent by yet another independent solver. There was no threat attached to how quickly it could be solved, and it wasn’t a race. Nor did the FBI or any police agency need to ‘save face.’

I find it no surprise at all that it was solved quickly by dedicated ‘amateurs.’ I suspect that Zodiac even hoped that to be the case. He didn’t send it to the FBI, he sent it in three parts, to three different newspapers, demanding that it be printed. He clearly wanted it to reach a wide audience.

-glurk

That would be really impressive if both the ‘independent solver’ as well as Zodiac, were both in Vallejo,WITHOUT being one and the same person

That would be really impressive if both the ‘independent solver’ as well as Zodiac, were both in Vallejo,WITHOUT being one and the same person

Well, it was sent TO Vallejo, but was postmarked San Francisco. Which of course makes sense, since those two city newspapers are where the cipher parts were sent.

I guess it would be really weird if it had come from Rhode Island, New York, or Hawaii, etc…

In any case, a separate independent solver makes the most sense to me. I just cannot fathom why it would have been sent by the Hardens or Z himself.

-glurk

I’d suggest it’s also possible that the FBI solved the 340 reasonably quickly and decided not to publicise the content, out of "concern for public sensibilities".
Maybe.

The last couple of times this key’s been discussed the publication date of the "solve" has been aired, and compared to the arrival date of this key. No?
And I think it was demonstrated that the solution was published before / on the same day / that this key was written. But I may be wrong. (The answers may lie on Mike Butterfield’s board if anyone wants to root around therein.)

The "polyphone" lines on the top right of the original page have always intrigued me.
Are they polyphone lines?
Why two lines for the triangle? One has a dot in it which has not reproduced properly?
Why are the triangles (symbols) produced first up there and everywhere else "key" lines begin with letters?
Why don’t the letters after the first triangle there go in order-of-use, as in the cipher? Would they, if this key had been produced by "a solver"?

All these and many other questions still resonate. But I’m very lazy these days.
One in particular: Can you use this key to "encode" the 408 reasonably successfully?

FWIW I tend to think the key was written by the person who encoded the 340. My two cents. Because of what I think are the answers to a couple of those questions – and of course because of the covering letter….

The last couple of times this key’s been discussed the publication date of the "solve" has been aired, and compared to the arrival date of this key. No?

The Hardens’ solution was published August 9, 1969. The code key was postmarked August 10, 1969.

The "polyphone" lines on the top right of the original page have always intrigued me.
Are they polyphone lines?
Why two lines for the triangle? One has a dot in it which has not reproduced properly?

The first triangle line corresponds to the filled triangle in the actual cipher. The second triangle corresponds to the unfilled triangle in the actual cipher. Not sure why the 1st isn’t filled in.

Why are the triangles (symbols) produced first up there and everywhere else "key" lines begin with letters?

It is to distinguish cipher symbols with multiple plaintext letter assignments from the ones that are assigned to a single plaintext letter.

One in particular: Can you use this key to "encode" the 408 reasonably successfully?

Yes. There’d be some small differences, because for some symbols you can pick from more than one letter. So, decoding it again will result in a different set of what would seem to the solver to be spelling mistakes. Also, it would be up to you to decide on whether or not to stick to the repeating cycles of alternates (as Zodiac mostly did). Your 408 would end up looking a bit different. But it’d still be valid and solvable.

Thanks Dave – that was fast. Now it’s time for you to share some of your thinking please!
(Which is why I asked bloomin’ rhetorical questions – or tried to!)

"The Hardens’ solution was published August 9, 1969. The code key was postmarked August 10, 1969."
… Uh, yes indeed. So the key’s less likely to be from the person who encoded the 408? More likely to have been sent in by someone cashing in on the Harden solve?

Re: Why two lines for the triangle?
"The first triangle line corresponds to the filled triangle in the actual cipher. The second triangle corresponds to the unfilled triangle in the actual cipher. Not sure why the 1st isn’t filled in."
…. Yes I know. I’m not sure either. I’d like it to be because of a fault in the reproduction, but either way we have to reflect on the fact that the first triangle symbol used in the 408 sure looks like it ain’t filled – and yet this key presents them in that order. Is that odd or ain’t it?

Re: Why are the triangles (symbols) produced first up there and everywhere else "key" lines begin with letters?
"It is to distinguish cipher symbols with multiple plaintext letter assignments from the ones that are assigned to a single plaintext letter."
…. uh yes, they’re the "polyphones" aren’t they – which is why we refer to them (or was it just me) as the polyphone lines, those things at the top. SO what are the other lines? Why a "Q" first when in fact the Q isn’t actually a polyphone, unless the guy couldn’t tell a backward one from a forward one. Following the "Q" and backward "Q" symbols through the 408 might give us something to think about there. What say? And why would that be?

My big question: "Can you use this key to "encode" the 408 reasonably successfully?" Needs rephrasing.
"If you encoded the code killer’s message with this key – would you get the 408?"
Now come on, really, would you? Polyphones and all? Eh?

All on my own again eh? Blithering? *sigh" Alright, I’ll do it myself. Cutting to the chase.

OK so I’m going to encode my 408 and I have My "I am the Zodiac!" Key. I’m going to say "I like killing" so I get My IATZ Key ready and I reach for an "I".
My IATZ Key says I encode an "I" with a "P" – so the first symbol in my 408 is a P.
Oh!
That’s not an open triangle and the 408 starts with an open triangle. Oh dear!
That’s not right.
Rats! Back to doing normal word puzzles and ciphers and criptograms. Even though I can’t spell cryptograms, I think I’ll manage some of them. Ho ho ho!
http://www.wikipeetia.org/Criptogram

OR…..

I reach for an "I",
Hmmmmmm. Well! To start the 408 with "I" would be a reasonable guess for a first-person (that’s the tense) start to a cipher, and it’s also a common letter, sooooo I’ll use a poly (I’ve put most of the common letters – and more – into strings for poly’s in my little key addition on the right) So I look up there and I use an open triangle to start my cipher.
Hooray!

Say – the Q line is very strange and doesn’t include high-incidence characters.
I suppose the next thing might be to see what the character incidences in the 408 actually are and how they differ from "normal" and if that poly key isn’t biased in that direction, perhaps. Except I’m too lazy and it probably isn’t.

So the key’s less likely to be from the person who encoded the 408? More likely to have been sent in by someone cashing in on the Harden solve?

I don’t know. Could just be someone trying to be helpful. This person may have seen the Hardens’ solution and thought, "I can help summarize the key!"

I’d like it to be because of a fault in the reproduction

Perhaps, but it’d be strange for the fault to have removed the filling so cleanly, unless it was very faintly shaded in the original.

but either way we have to reflect on the fact that the first triangle symbol used in the 408 sure looks like it ain’t filled – and yet this key presents them in that order. Is that odd or ain’t it?

Maybe the author was simply more concerned about identifying the polyphones than showing their order.

Why a "Q" first when in fact the Q isn’t actually a polyphone, unless the guy couldn’t tell a backward one from a forward one. Following the "Q" and backward "Q" symbols through the 408 might give us something to think about there. What say? And why would that be?

I don’t know why he combined the backwards and forward Qs, but that mistake makes a little more sense than including "K" and "L" among the assignments. But I suppose he could have just mistaken one or more of the symbols assigned to "K" and "L" for one of the "Q" symbols.

There may be some evidence that Harden confused the Q’s: http://zodiackillerciphers.com/408/key.html#sup2

"If you encoded the code killer’s message with this key – would you get the 408?"
Now come on, really, would you? Polyphones and all? Eh?

It would not be an exact copy unless you faithfully reproduced the exact order of the alternates (aka, homophone cycles), as well as the polyphone assignments. But I think it would have a lot of similarities to the original 408. At least a fourth of it would be identical, since various plaintext letters each have only one assigned cipher symbol.

I don’t think the polyphones were intentional, so it doesn’t make sense to me to use them to create a new cipher.

The evidence that the polyphones are mistakes are: 1) The symbols involved tend to resemble each other, and 2) Correcting the polyphones (and other mistakes) tends to fix spelling errors and improves the cycling of alternates. Look at the annotations here for more details.

Dave. many thanks, that sounds more considered.
I’m not going to add up the singly-assigned substitution characters to challenge you on 1/4 of the cipher coming out the same, I expect you’re right.
Yes, It’s comforting to consider what look like multiply-assigned characters as errors – and the additional errors in the key being interpretations of those faults, compounded by the lackadaisical nature of its author.
"I can help summarize the key" made me chortle.
Perhaps the SF area in the 60’s was full of cipher geeks who wrote to the police, spelled things badly and wanted to maintain their anonymity!
I’ll try that whole interpretation on again for a while and see if it fit; I changed my mind on whether the poly’s were intentional when I saw this key.
Damn.

Why a "Q" first when in fact the Q isn’t actually a polyphone, unless the guy couldn’t tell a backward one from a forward one. Following the "Q" and backward "Q" symbols through the 408 might give us something to think about there. What say? And why would that be?

I don’t know why he combined the backwards and forward Qs, but that mistake makes a little more sense than including "K" and "L" among the assignments. But I suppose he could have just mistaken one or more of the symbols assigned to "K" and "L" for one of the "Q" symbols.
There may be some evidence that Harden confused the Q’s: http://zodiackillerciphers.com/408/key.html#sup2

The Hardens may have confused the Q’s and (it seems) so did our Citizen, leaving the "M" assignment blank and putting a "poly" (OK they aren’t) assignment in his right hand column? Quelle coincidence.

Why a "Q" first when in fact the Q isn’t actually a polyphone, unless the guy couldn’t tell a backward one from a forward one. Following the "Q" and backward "Q" symbols through the 408 might give us something to think about there. What say? And why would that be?

I don’t know why he combined the backwards and forward Qs, but that mistake makes a little more sense than including "K" and "L" among the assignments. But I suppose he could have just mistaken one or more of the symbols assigned to "K" and "L" for one of the "Q" symbols.
There may be some evidence that Harden confused the Q’s: http://zodiackillerciphers.com/408/key.html#sup2

The Hardens may have confused the Q’s and (it seems) so did our Citizen, leaving the "M" assignment blank and putting a "poly" (OK they aren’t) assignment in his right hand column? Quelle coincidence.

I have a question, does anybody have a good clear copy of Hardin’s worksheet? Does the writing match the code key? I was thinking, maybe he felt like his solution would get lost after he called it into the SF Chronicle, so he decided to mail a copy of it to the Vallejo PD. Then again,why drive so far to mail it from Vallejo, he could have mailed it from his house.