...ESPIONAGE:
THE CRUCIAL EVIDENCE...
...THE IMAGE ABOVE IS BEST VIEWED ON AN iPAD OR TABLET USE IT TO FOCUS ON THE LOWER LINE...
...Getting to the heart of the Somerton Man case has been extremely challenging. And I know I am not alone in that position. But today in this post you will see the solid evidence that proves beyond any reasonable doubt that Lieutenant Alf Boxall and Jestyn belonged to an intelligence unit. Let me make it clear from the outset that I do not think that either of these two people was anything other than good and honest and who served their country well.
ESPIONAGE: THE PROOF
You need to watch the clip past the 35-second mark, and you'll see how the random pieces of the Anamorphic puzzle suddenly change shape and become letters and numbers.
It's all about perspective, the angle at which you view apparent random markings on the edge of a book. Holbein in his artwork, The Ambassadors, used it effectively when he incorporated a human skull in the work but it could only be seen from a side view. (Link Here)
ADDITIONAL VIEWING INFORMATION:
Another way the anamorphic letters and numbers can be viewed is by using your iPad or tablet screen. The image below is of the lower edge of the inscription page of the Boxall Rubaiyat. If you view that image on your screen and then adjust your viewing angle such that you are looking across the screen's surface and make minor adjustments to your viewing angle rather than from a 90-degree perspective, you will see the string of letters and numbers that were very cleverly concealed.
90 Degree View:
Adjusted Viewing Angle:
Please note: You must look precisely from the center of your line of vision and adjust your viewing angle to obtain the best view of the message string. Adjust brightness and contrast if needed. Avoid reflected light on the screen.
The image is set to the actual size which is 120 mm wide.
This YouTube video titled
"THE SOMERTON MAN WAS INVOLVED IN ESPIONAGE" discusses a significant development in the Somerton Man case, presenting evidence that Alf Boxall and the nurse Jestyn were intelligence operatives. The video highlights a page with verse 70, inscribed by Jestyn and given to Alf Boxall in 1945, which contained seven distinct concealment techniques. One of these techniques is anamorphic writing, where letters and numbers are only visible from specific angles. The edges of the book cover were inscribed with anamorphic lettering, revealing long strings of letters and numbers when viewed correctly. This method has eluded detection for 76 years, with further concealment techniques detailed coming soon on this blog tamamshud.blogspot.com.
"THE SOMERTON MAN WAS INVOLVED IN ESPIONAGE" discusses a significant development in the Somerton Man case, presenting evidence that Alf Boxall and the nurse Jestyn were intelligence operatives. The video highlights a page with verse 70, inscribed by Jestyn and given to Alf Boxall in 1945, which contained seven distinct concealment techniques. One of these techniques is anamorphic writing, where letters and numbers are only visible from specific angles. The edges of the book cover were inscribed with anamorphic lettering, revealing long strings of letters and numbers when viewed correctly. This method has eluded detection for 76 years, with further concealment techniques detailed coming soon on this blog tamamshud.blogspot.com.
The image below compares the before and after views of the same section of the lower right-hand book edge. It's a little blurry but visible:
The belief is that the Boxall Rubaiyat was a training aid and that as such, the letters and numbers shown here and in the next few videos, may not be a code as such, the book was just showing the trainee how to conceal codes. The encoding step was a different course.
If you look carefully at the highlighted area you will see the slightly darker shaded areas within the column. If you move your head slightly to your left whilst viewing, you will be able to see the letters and numbers a little more clearly. The top, bottom, and sides of the rectangular design each have instances of anamorphic concealment. A note, the image above is small by increasing its size, you don't improve the view. Try it out with an iPad or tablet if you have one.
I will add more on this issue later today. It effectively links, the Internment Camp, the designer of the notes, the British SOE, and Australian Military Intelligence and via the latter we link to Alf Boxall and Jestyn and finally the Somerton Man.We have a most interesting journey ahead.
The image below shows part of the lower book edge and the string of letters and numbers formed by the anamorphic patterns/lettering:
The belief is that the Boxall Rubaiyat was a training aid and that as such, the letters and numbers shown here and in the next few videos, may not be a code as such, the book was just showing the trainee how to conceal codes. The encoding step was a different course.
ANAMORPHIC TECHNIQUE IN THE HAY BANKNOTE
The images below show a Hay Internment Camp banknote, on close examination, the note displayed contains the same anamorphic technique as the Boxall ROK example:
This next image was taken at an angle with low backlighting it is of the left side of the rectangular shape:
I will add more on this issue later today. It effectively links, the Internment Camp, the designer of the notes, the British SOE, and Australian Military Intelligence and via the latter we link to Alf Boxall and Jestyn and finally the Somerton Man.We have a most interesting journey ahead.
A few days ago, I posted under the headline 'IGNITION', the Somerton Man case which has for too long been in the doldrums courtesy of yet another unsubstantiated claim. The image was of the seated figure and the Fez, it showed a concealment technique known as Steganography, a Greek word meaning 'Covered Writing'. And that's exactly what was shown in the image. Not hidden in plain sight but hidden beneath ink.
What is the impact of this new evidence, can we say it's new? It's always been there but I only uncovered it recently. The implications are significant, we now have a confirmed espionage link, and both Alf and Jestyn were 'in the business'. Having spent time on this issue, I believe Alf was the trainer, the book was the course notes, and he trained Jestyn and possibly others in the fine art of concealment. If you check out the records of the Water Transport group, you will find a strong link between the unit and Military Intelligence.
So today we have shown the second concealment method, it may surprise you to know that on the Inscription and Title pages of this book, I found a total of seven different types of concealment.
This puts the notion that Carl Webb was the Somerton Man in much greater doubt than it was before.
So today we have shown the second concealment method, it may surprise you to know that on the Inscription and Title pages of this book, I found a total of seven different types of concealment.
This puts the notion that Carl Webb was the Somerton Man in much greater doubt than it was before.
If you hadn't shown the video I wouldn't have believed it was possible, its amazing to watch. Well done, a new lease of life for the SM mystery!
ReplyDeleteSo he was a spy after all, what about the Carl Webb claims?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments, it struck me that showing how the effect took place wa ideal for a video, hard to describe without it.
ReplyDeleteRE the Carl Webb claims, they have never been independently substantiated. There was a only a single shaft of rootless hair used and in the IEE article no mention was made of where that hair came from. No mention either of the fact that human hair was used by Paul Lawson to make the plaster bust. In a 32009 video Professor Abbot made the comment that the Somerton Man was very hairy due to the appearance of many hairs on the bust and this was before any DNA samples were taken. That video was removed recently, bound to be a copy somewhere, all you need is 4K video downloader to save videos to your PC, I have a copy and can recommend it.
Often misquoted
ReplyDeleteThe proof of the pudding is in the eating
Ha! I stand corrected!
ReplyDeleteGordon, you did not mention the source material that you used. I.e., how did you obtain the picture of AB's copy of the Rubaiyat.
ReplyDeleteThe copy I have is of the original Boxall ROK and it came from Gerry Feltus.
DeleteJust a thought .. how much information could Boxall have had, given his working conditions? And in addition, if both Harkness and Boxall were so skilled in writing and reading lengthy messages, why weren’t they trained in remembering the detail?
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting question. Why do you ask?
ReplyDeleteBecause I feel it needs an answer
ReplyDeleteI need to understand why you feel that, what is your purpose and goal? How do you know that they weren't trained? What makes you think I would have an answer? Seriously I don't have a direct answer for you. The only thing I would suggest is that the 1914 Crimes Act would be part of the answer you're seeking, that and perhaps revisiting Alf's Littlemore interview and what he had to say about military matters.
ReplyDeleteSorry to sound a bit sharp, it's not a good day today Pete.
Thanks for the response: I don’t know .. by the same token, perhaps you could tell us where Boxall and Harkness were trained in the art of coding and micro-writing. I’m sorry to hear all is not well.
ReplyDeleteI think you’ll find that MI had a unit at North Head and if that sort of training was to be done then it would seem a logical place to do it.
ReplyDeleteMy research suggests the purpose of the MI operation at North Head was primarily concerned with harbour defence matters together with choosing the right weapons to defend against attack. The only spying reference I could find was that the Japanese had installed a man and a radio transmitter in a deep cave beneath the cliffs.
ReplyDeleteDrive down Military Rd from Mosman to Bradleys Head, along the way you will pass Army HQ as was in the 40s. I misdirected you earlier. So, not that far from Clifton Gardens. Apologies, still not a good day for concentration purposes..
ReplyDeleteThis is mindblowing, the more I watch it the more I see a story of seismic proportions. Will be in touch today.
ReplyDeleteLook forward to hearing from you.
DeleteThe book had to be a special printing, that takes a bit of doing and some fairly high level involvement. What's next? Still trying to get my mind round this, must have watched it ten times and the moment the book edge transforms from random squiggles into letters and numbers is amazing. It doesn't look possible but its clear, great job. Sharing it now.
ReplyDeleteI am sure you're right, I would think that they would have published a few of these, somewhere out there there may be half a dozen more. They'd be worth a fair bit I would think, hundreds if not thousands of dollars each. I'll take a closer look at my copy but I know the book cover is standard, not like the design of the Boxall book. Will check it out though.
DeleteBOOM! Talk about rockin' the boat! What happens to the DNA stuff now? Ain't nowhere to hide!
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be interesting to see the reactions, got some press interest straight away. Let's see what happens
DeleteIs it on one edge are all of them?
ReplyDeleteThe anamorphic pattern is on all three visible edges, different number sequences though. Getting the camera to focus was difficult, the edge is only 5 mm wide and to get the code to show I had to angle the camera, almost flat. That meant that the on camera width of the edge is about 3 mm, it takes about 3 seconds to get the auto focus happening. Amazing stuff!
DeleteAny other codes on the page? I saw the centreline video showing the tiny letters some time back, what about the verse itself?
ReplyDeleteYes, in all there are 7 concealment types on this page, not easy to find but once you see them you can't unsee them :) The centre line is one, the micro written code in the words of the verse is another, I'll leave you to work out the rest :)
DeleteNever seen or even heard of this code before, who used it in the war?
ReplyDeleteA good question, I haven't never seen the Anamorphic technique used in this way. That's not to say that it hasn't been, it's just that I haven't seen it nor have I heard of it being used. I am familiar anamorphic images, I included it in a post 3 years or so ago:
ReplyDeletehttps://tamamshud.blogspot.com/2021/02/another-major-breakthrough-lesson-in.html
I will do some further research though and update here if I find anything.
I think that could be an optical illusion, could be pareidolia. They may look like letters and numbers but they're not really.
ReplyDeleteWell that's one view but the problem is that we start with the base anamorphic pattern and it is that which transforms from a pattern which is viewable to the numbers and letters you see. Not a chance that it's pareidolia or an illusion, it's scientific fact, but please check it out and if you come up with a scientific argument tat what we are seeing are not letters and numbers then send in the results and I'd be happy to publish them.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anamorphosis
ReplyDeletePete, I have a detailed post going up on the Code page later this week and will transfer these comments across to that post when it's live.
ReplyDeleteNOTE: Some comments have been moved to a more relevant thread, they deal with the issue of the Code page and not the Boxall ROK. Here's the link to the new post for those removed comments:
ReplyDeletehttps://tamamshud.blogspot.com/2020/04/what-do-we-know-about-code-page-part-1.html?sc=1718026611459#c9131588894995816066
Whats Bowes on about now?
ReplyDeleteI really have no idea what he's on about, I moved his discussion to the appropriate thread, he asked for my opinion and I gave it to him and a full response to his last point raised, he would have had full reign on that post no distractions. I guess he mustn't have liked it.
ReplyDeleteIf you're reading this Pete, take it easy and keep well.
Found a few examples of anamorphic writing, fascinating story behind it all. Goes back hundreds of years. I have some old images of early work, will send them in, usual email?
ReplyDeleteSure no problem, same email, appreciated and thanks.
DeleteWe have a spy museum of sorts, we'd love to have some of this on display, can we get access please? It would have to be a donation though, does that work?
ReplyDeleteHi Josey, I am sure we can do something, if you can post a comment which I won't publish, and include your contact details and timezone etc. We can work something out. There may be a short delay until after the inquest. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteTested that out with the iPad, takes a fair bit to focus but when it pops over from the pattern into the letters and numbers its almost like 3D, it literally appears to move and I know it can't but that's how it looks. I haven't ever seen anything like this. Looking for more now!
ReplyDeleteThose two new images are easier to view, definitely there but quite small, beggars belief really. What happens next? Do you have any other examples of codes?
ReplyDeleteThe short answer is Yes. There are at least 6 and possibly more concealments of code on the Boxall ROK pages. I am working on a presentation of them all. It i difficult working at such small sizes. It needs a true macro/micro lens camera thew sort used to photograph insects and flora in close-up images.
DeleteFascinating, it starts off looking like a series of jumbled marks and shapes and then suddenly it transforms, it doesn't seem possible but I can see how the camera had to readjust and focus especially on the video. Its habit forming! Hope you got the message.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure whether anyone in the public space at least, has ever seen this kind of covert communication. It is one thing to jumble up letters and numbers to disguise a message and quite another to jumble up a series of shapes and bits and pieces and have them turn into numbers and letters that might even form a code. Will have to look at that. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that a small section of such bits could form a few random letters or numbers. But here we have the 3 visible edges of the book cover amounting to 40 + cms all told and all those components when viewed from the correct angle join together to form a distinct and relatively clear string of letters and numbers. My estimate is that there are around 4 or possibly 5 characters per centimetre. That would make the entire string around 200 letters/numbers in total. More than enough for a message but the question is what code is being used? Will it need a keyword? Hurts your brain!
DeleteGetting the sequence of the 3 component sides is critical, you don't know which of the 3 edges and its characters is first or second or third. I make that there's 7 possible combinations for the sequence.
DeleteThere will be a few influential people in Adelaide that won't want to see this published, it'd be a big surprise if it was allowed there.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't have thought this was possible, learn something new everyday. How big are the characters in the line?
ReplyDeleteThe light just went on. The lens on the camera controls how many characters you can get into focus at any one time. And looking at the line, the characters are tightly packed. Seems to me that the best you could do is to get 20 in one photograph. I reckon you'd need 10 to 12 photographs in all and then you'd have to stra=art organizing the sequencing thing.
ReplyDeleteI think we'd have to do the long edge first, that's about 18 cms in length which equates to around 80 characters. That would be enough to enter into a code identifier to see if it was a code and if so would it need a keyword? In the absence of any volunteers I guess I have my work cut out :)
ReplyDeleteWhen do we get to see the other ones you mentioned?
ReplyDeleteA question, because the anamorphic pattern and code is on the book edge, doesn't that mean that the people who published the book would have been in the know?
ReplyDeleteHi Jacob, A really good question.It doesn't necessarily follow that the printers or publishers were part of the game. The anamorphics could have been added later. For example, some form of tape over the edge and even the full book cover could have been applied.There are reasons for me saying that and I will shortly publish some close-ups I have that look very interesting.
ReplyDeleteHay Banknotes. What a link, where is that heading? I know a bit about Teltscher but that was all in 1941 how does it relate to the SM case?
ReplyDeleteThe Hay Internment camp banknotes came to light whilst researching the Tibor Kaldor death in Adelaide two weeks after the finding of the Somerton Man's body. Tibor was an ex internee at Hay and then later at Tatura in Victoria. In his last letter he said that he had decided to end his own life. However when the first paragraph of the letter was put through a decoder it identified an acrostic code that spelled out the name DANETTA. That same name turned up in the Verse 70 inscription and in the last note of a Michael Goreloff who was found dead in Sydney 10 days after the finding of the body of the Somerton Man and it is also contained in verse 23 of the Rubaiyat, that was the underlined verse found in a copy of the book found open to that page on the chest of George Marshall. Four dead men and 2 of them with the name DANETTA spelled out in a Rubaiyat Verse, the other two in suicide notes. A coincidence? Yes, it could be. But questionable. George Marshall's death was estimated to be on May 21st 1945, he was found in scrubland overlooking Taylor's Bay on Sydney Harbour. He had been there for around 2 weeks so the body was not in a good condition. I know that when there was a discussion on his death on another blog some years ago, one commenter who later claimed to be an ex detective, had difficulty understanding just what 2 weeks in open salty air and subjected to wildlife attention can do to a corpse. Hope this helps.
DeleteI have a question, I don’t want to sound rude or anything,but do you think the mainstream media look at this blog and the other ones? Like the professor, the Sapol, and the other agencies involved with case.
ReplyDeleteThe answer is yes. I get quite a few contacts from media and press. For the record I have been working with SAPOL on evidence for the forthcoming inquest for some months now. I am not in a position to disclose that information as you would understand. As to whether I get as much interest as others, I really don't know the answer to that, I do know that this blog is well regarded for its fact and truth based approach to the case. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteI just saw a comment on another blog with the same question, it wasn't from me.
ReplyDeleteYes it was me I just wanted to know if the media was aware of us sluethers, because this blog and the other blogs make more sense of the issue with this case! My Name is Abe Colón.
ReplyDeleteWhy does the TBT guy always throw shade at you? Professional envy?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, it's actually sad to watch. There was a time when Pete was a strong contributor but that's declined over the years for reasons best known to him. I wish him well.
DeleteI meant to say, if you get time today, call back to see a new post, it has some interesting new information with images.
DeleteAnother question. What do you know about how Jestyn got involved in this, who would have trained her and where?
ReplyDeleteGood question, I started posting on this subject way back in 2013 shortly after the blog started. There are quite a few references, the best way to read up on this is to follow this link to a search on 'Leo Marks'. He was an SOE man who trained many operators in the art of deception and concealment among other things. You'll find several early posts on the subject as well as some recent ones. Why Leo is important is because he organised recruitment of code people and of agents. He recruited nurses (Nurse Yeomanry) for the code work and some transitioned to agents. You'll find a number of links in the posts including one to Leo's book, 'Between Silk & Cyanide' :
ReplyDeletehttps://tamamshud.blogspot.com/search?q=Leo+Marks
Thanks Jacob
Here's a snapshot regarding Jestyn that some may already know. She started her Nursing training in early 1942 at Royal North Shore Hospital and lived initially in the Nurse quarters near the hospital She later moved to Mosman I think, that's not far from Clifton Gardens where Alf Boxall was stationed.
ReplyDeleteShe gave the copy of the Rubaiyat with its inscription to Alf in August 1945 just prior to him leaving to the islands.
Jestyn completed her Nurse training in November 1945. However she did not take her final exams until 1950 I think, it was some years later that she became formally qualified.
Here's a link to more about Jestyn and Alf Boxall including some earlier posts and ideas on where and how they used to meet up.
https://tamamshud.blogspot.com/search?q=RNSH
Have you ever decrypted anything from the Jestyn tiny writing inscription?
ReplyDeleteThe short answer is no, not from the verse 70 inscription as yet, at least nothing I want to publish at the moment. WIth regards to other codes and the Code page and Torn slip, that's a different answer. Lets work through it:
ReplyDelete1. Link to a 2020 post regarding the letters M & R and what I was able to recover:
https://tamamshud.blogspot.com/2020/10/somerton-man-code-page-crack-letters-m.html
2. https://tamamshud.blogspot.com/2020/11/somerton-man-code-cracked-second.html
3. Here's the Search URL for a number of decrypt posts:
https://tamamshud.blogspot.com/search?q=Decrypt
Regarding the Code page, it's interesting because we have what appears to be some plain English alphabet characters in the letter Q which was found 10 years ago. As you read through these posts you will see how the development methods evolved as I learned more about the various techniques that could be used:
The letter Q search term: https://tamamshud.blogspot.com/search?q=Q
The Code page search term:
https://tamamshud.blogspot.com/search?q=Code+page
All in all I think I would have decrypted 10 instances with interesting results including names.. I have and am working on more in relation to the submission to SAPOL for the inquest but I shan't be publishing those results just yet.
Hope this helps
Can you tell us what kinds of codes you have found and where?
ReplyDeleteSure, if we start with the Verse 70 inscription and Title pages. I am not certain just what codes if any were used. I think that the book itself was very probably a manual, a 'how to' book on the various concealment techniques. As such the letters recovered from the anamorphic images for example look to be just random letters and numbers. The same applies to the rest of the methods found on both pages. The exception to that rule is the handwritten Verse 70. That appears to be a code and I do not know which one at this stage. There is a sequencing challenge in that there are different parts to each letter and they need to be tested in different combinations. Will get there in due course.
ReplyDeleteThe code page has both 'clear' as in English alphabet non code and what thus far appears to be the HILL cipher which has produced some results.
The Torn slip is quite different. Seems to have two ciphers and it could be that they are layered or double encrypted. The first layer is a Morbit cipher, when I put the extracted cipher text into a decrypt tool it produced 8 of the 11 letters from line 3 in the code page and the correct sequence after those 8 those first 8 the text was meaningless.
The next cipher identification which was a strong response was for a Nihilist cipher. That was interesting because that was a cipher usedd by the Soviets in WW2, the Red Orchestra. I was able to find an example of their codes and how they were assembled but the problem being that it requires a key word. I tried the keyword I used for the Morbit cipher (TamamShud) but that didn't work so I tried the 8 letters from line 3 and then the meaningless letters from the Morbit decrypt but no result. I have been in touch with a decrypt group but the feeling is that there may not be enough cipher text to help work out the keyword. The hope is that there will be an AI tool available before long that will be able to decrypt the Nihilist cipher.
For the record, I do not know who wrote the Code page micro code, it seems possible and borderline probable that the torn slip was written by the Somerton Man himself.
Good question Jimbob!
A thought in relation to the decrypts thus far. There are three names mentioned and each has strong Ukraine connections. This is not to say that the SM was Ukranian but people associated with him may have been and that is only if the decrypts are tested and found correct.
ReplyDeleteThis blog is fact and evidence based. I don't publish anything that cannot be substantiated and if I do then I always qualify it. In the early years that was not the case but for the last 6 years that has been the position. I question things in depth and I research thoroughly, that doesn't mean that I don't make the occasional mistake but if O then I let people know. The other things I don't do is to attack the work of others or launch personal attacks aimed at discrediting others and it is not allowed in comments either.
I hope that clarifies the blogs position.
My sincere thanks to the audience, we are now closing in on 1.5 million page visits since starting in 2013, I truly appreciate your support and continuing interest in the Somerton Man case.
Like everyone else, I am looking forward to the outcome of the current inquest into the identity of the Somerton Man.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Yes I am aware of her real name but, in the book the name 'Jestyn' was used to sign it off, the evidence says that Jestyn was the name the nurse used. That's why I refer to her as Jestyn. Another thing to consider is that at that time she was accompanied by another female, also said to be a nurse by the name of Joy Erwin. A name search of NAA comes up blank. Earlier searches in 2019 at RNSH records similarly came up blank. I hope this helps and thanks for your comment.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI see that engaging in discussion is not your strong point, if you read all of the evidence you will see that what I have said is correct and your are clearly wrong. Have a great day.
DeletePicking up on the training question from the other thread. How could agents remember all this information on codes and so on? There's a lot to remember. How could Jestyn have done that?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the question, and I see where you're coming from.
DeleteFirst thing to remember is that humans have an amazing capacity for remembering things. especially young humans.
Think in terms of pre barcode check-out operators, how clever were they? Sometimes 7000 line items or more and they would remember the price of all of them with an incredibly low error rate. Not so today of course!
Back to your question, I can't think of any case study or biography I've read where the operatives didn't have a code book or even two stashed away somewhere and the same goes for one time pads.
So, would Jestyn have had a code book? Given what we know about the Boxall Rubaiyat, I would say yes and so would Alf. However I have to say that I do not have the documentary evidence to substantiate that, but it's a well qualified assumption :) And so, it seems would the Somerton Man have had a code book if, as I half suspect, he wrote the concealed code in the torn slip but that's for another post. Again, there's no hard evidence of that at the moment.
In the absence of known hard evidence, all we have is the ability to draw reasonable conclusions from the hard and other evidence we do have.
OK, so following your lines of thought, then when Alf was based in Sydney, he would have done patrols of Sydney Harbour?
ReplyDeleteExactly. Patrolling the harbour, using it for training, testing out equipment and the crews readiness in all kinds of weather conditions, simulated engine failures etc etc.
DeleteMaybe even testing radio reception and transmission in different locations and conditions using different codes as well I bet. Lights,Camera, Action! I can just see it!
ReplyDeleteYou've got it. There are bloggers in this space who really have no idea, they think that reading a few spy books is enough. It's not.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong, i've read quite a few in my time and they can be interesting but if you want the real untarnished truth, you immerse yourself in the environment and the times such as the 1940s. Talk with some of those who lived through it. What was it like being in the Police or the Military then? What was it like living through the early Cold War, the Berlin Air Lift days, the Communist party infiltrations of the Union Movement. What was it like in the Police service or any of the many Intelligence organisations after just emerging from WW2? How did you cope as an ex internee and what pressures were on them? The stuff that you read on some blogs beggars belief. They set themselves up as experts and all they do is grandstand. One talks about 'Question Everything!' But has no answers that they can share. They literally have no idea what they are talking about.
Rant over! I hope this all helps, if there's anything you would like to know, I will do my best to answer it and if I don't have an answer for you I will endeavour to point you in the right direction.
The anamorhic writing looks really small, how would an agent create that in the field and how would they read it? It looks impossible.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that, good questions and I appreciate them. Firstly it is very small the width of the book edge shown in the top image is about 3 mm at its widest when viewed from directly above and that's where the initial anamorphic pattern is placed so there's no problem putting a pattern in that space, it's not too small for that.
ReplyDeleteWhen the anamorphic writing appears, and taking into account the different viewing angle, that initial 3 mm space drops to around 1mm. Whilst that is small, writing at that size is quite possible but remember that the initial 'writing' was in fact 3 mm in height before the anamorphic pattern is dropped in place over it. It cuts very small breaks into the shape of each character and that's what the technique relies on.
Breaks appear in each character when viewed directly from above so the character is unrecognisable when viewed that way. But, when you adjust the viewing angle to an oblique angle, that effectively closes up the gaps or breaks in each character such that they are reformed once again into recognisable letters and numbers. That's how its done.
Could it be done in the field? Yes but it would take time thus my thinking is that the book edge example here is part of a training manual, sure operators know how to do it if needed and the time was available but this technique is more likely to be used as a message from the handler to the operative and not vice versa.
How would they read it, well 1 mm is within the viewable range of someone with good eyesight, others may need glasses. Some may even have needed a small magnifying glass or a jewellers loupe for example.
This has taken 76 years to be found, from that fact alone it was a very effective tool. It's a breakthrough and a significant one.
What we have here is evidence that Alf and Jestyn knew of this method, a clandestine communication method. It is thought but not as yet proven, that this method was amongst a number of codes and ciphers received from British SOE or MI5/6 in 1943. It is known that the methods found in the Boxall ROK, are very similar to those found in the Hay Banknotes that were designed by George Adams Teltscher. Mr.Teltscher is known, on his return to the UK in late 1941 to have been employed by the British War office supposedly to design propaganda posters. I have searched UK archives and while they have extensive records of their war time posters and designers, I have not as yet found any that bear the name of George Adams Teltscher. So the assumption is that he was probably involved in the creation of clandestine communication methods but it cannot be said for certain that it was the case. 'Probable' is one step closer to 'Certain' than 'Possible'.
Thanks for the comment and questions, they all contribute to the understanding of what really happened in the lead up to the discovery of the Somerton Man's body.
Wouldn't Alf have been in trouble for taking home secret messages in the Jestyn book? It seems odd that he took it home and then showed it to Stuart Littlmore in that interview.
ReplyDeleteOK, let's break it down.
ReplyDelete1. Had this been an actual record of message traffic between Alf and an operative then that would be a problem for Alf. I agree with that.
2. I have gone through the anamorphic letters and numbers and can find no readable code at this time.
3. That plus the fact that there are 7 concealment methods on just the two pages, which is a lot, suggests to me that this book was a training aid, a trainers manual in fact.
This would make it safe for Alf to take home the book and 20 years later show it to Stuart Littlemore.
Having said that, the book was apparently shown to Detectives in 1949 and to a reporter. The question I have is 'Which book was shown to them?' Because we do not know that for certain.
There is a lesson here for any researcher, always make sure that you understand the data that's presented and the statements that are made. Make every effort to substantiate your findings. Similarly if you read and accept for Gospel what you find in newspaper articles, think twice. Think once about the quality of the newspaper and its reputation and think twice about the reporter concerned. An example of that is an article supposedly quoting Constable Moss that there were no matches found on the body of the Somerton Man when found. The newspaper concerned had a reputation for printing false reports, it was the Adelaide edition of the TRUTH newspaper. So on the one hand we have the newspaper article saying tere were no matches according to Constable Moss yet in the Inquest documents, that is not what Constable Moss said. Is it possible that the article was correct and there were no matches? Yes, possible but in the light of the evidence given to the court it is highly unlikely.
Qualify and substantiate whenever you can, I don't always get it right but I make every effort to do so and acknowledge and correct any errors.
Your man says he questions everything doesn't he?
ReplyDeleteYes, that's what he says.
ReplyDeleteHave you spotted it?
ReplyDeleteYes, spotted it. It'd be funny if it wasn't so sad.
ReplyDeleteAre you going to tell him?
ReplyDeleteHow about we leave it for a day or so, give him a chance to spot it and put it right.
ReplyDeleteOkeydokey, I don't think he'll spot it.
ReplyDeleteI used a few steganographic detection tools online and uploaded the jpeg of the page with the drawing and note from Jestyn. Using one color at a time as a filter, like red, blue and green, the images embedded on the page as in the edges show up in layers depending upon which color is used to view the image. In fact, the empty space when viewed via one of the colors presents an image not visible readily to the naked eye. I have heard tell that uv light can also reveal it possibly. The code that was hand written, found in the Somerton Man's pocket was so called Venona Code was it not? If so, the key is there on his paper he had with him
ReplyDeleteActually, the key and one the one time pad would in theory be there with the code we're all so familiar with at this point
ReplyDeleteHi, I agree with you that steganalysis tools are very useful when examining old photographs and very appropriate in this case. A digital image can be significantly altered even though the image itself may look perfectly normal on viewing. I am still learning about the various techniques but have managed to develop a couple of very useful steg detection tools, still under development is probably the correct term.
ReplyDeleteWhen I examined the torn slip images that I have, I found 2 distinct ciphers could have been in use. The first was a MORBIT cipher which based on morse code and required a Keyword or phrase of 9 letters/numbers. I was able to recover the keyword and decrypt 6 letters that appear in line 3 of the Code page, MTBIPANE in sequence. It seemed all too easy so did a few more checks and found that that the code was more likely to be a NIHILIST cipher and that is a different cipher altogether. It was originally a 19th Century cipher and was enhanced and altered over the years. It was in use by the Soviets in WW2 which made it an interesting development.
You can search this blog using MORBIT or NIHILIST and you'll find more information that might be of interest for you.
Do I detect an Arthurian note in your name? La Bell Dame Sans Merci.. perhaps? Enthralling :)
ToArthurian with that touch of Keats. I'm a cryptome hobbiest and have attempted many ciphers. I'm acquainted with MORBIT. And you'd be right as I am when I mentioned prosign. I've just translated a phrase from the Rubiat page. May i email it to you? I appreciate your taking the time to respond. It's only a snippet mind you, but I'm admittedly proud to have gotten this far(thus far)
ReplyDeleteHi Pepper,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. My email is widely known and you're welcome to send email to me. gordon332@gmail.com
Thank you!
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