Somerton Man Code Page: Another Code Revealed...Updated Comparison Images Shown...

Somerton Man Code Page

Bottom Right Corner
'R'

 

The image on the right above is the same lower right-hand corner shot viewed vertically, showing the 'breaks' that define the letter as an R and not a letter B:

The images above show a standard and close-up of the bottom right-hand corner of the Somerton Man Code page. The letter R is visible. (Having examined this very closely, I had noticed some years ago that the last letter on the last line is not the letter B, as had long been thought. I will put another image here shortly that shows the detail. ). Alongside that letter, you can see a darker area that apparently has markings within it. Some of those markings appear to be letters and numbers, but, as you will see in the next image, my belief is that those markings are a deliberate distraction.

The Concealment Comparison Images:

1.  Anamorphic View Bottom Right Corner

2. The above, second image of the bottom right corner of the code page was taken from immediately above and looked directly down on that part.

This image above contains the real code; it was taken from an oblique angle, and it had a 12-watt backlight. You can see a string of letters and numbers reading from left to right along the edge of the page. The concealment is another example of 'anamorphic' writing.

In practice, in the first half of the 20th Century, anamorphic writing could be viewed using a special lens often fitted to cameras for taking 'acute' angled photographs. Aerial photography used a similar approach; aerial photographs were often taken at various angles that needed to be interpreted by ground staff using special lenses. Cameras and/or lenses were likely used to read anamorphic messages

The famous Minox spy camera had a range of optional lenses and viewfinders created specifically for the world of espionage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minox

For those interested, here's a link to a Peta Pixel article with images of Soviet Era spy cameras: 

https://petapixel.com/2021/02/10/trove-of-clever-kgb-spy-cameras-from-the-cold-war-are-up-for-sale/

PetaPixel is a site I recommend for any photography-related matters associated with the SM case.

The Camera shown below, a George Lawrence Mammoth camera built in 1900, was not considered suitable for use by field agents...!