Zodiac 340 Cryptogram Solution

[:+:MrTT:+:]

A poster here, Morf, runs a site devoted to the Zodiac case, with some discussion of other crimes, called www.zodiackillersite.forummotion.com . I am a moderator there, and we would welcome having you join TT, as well as other interested researchers.

Douglas Oswell runs www.unazod.com which has a message board you can join. I am a member there, as is code expert Mr. Kite, and we do get some in depth discussions going on the codes, as well as the possible Zodiac - Kaczynski link.

In the general Zodiac world Tom Voigt runs a site called www.zodiackiller.com , however, be warned, while it is the biggest site and has lots of good info and posters, you have to pay $10 to join, and they often do not treat people with minority viewpoints on the case very nicely IMO.

Michael Butterfiled runs www.zodiackillerfacts.com , and the message board there has some good researchers on the code.

At www.zodiackillersite.forummotion.com and www.unazod.com you will find myself and other posters who think that this modified Graysmith 340 solution is likely the correct first step to solving the puzzle, at www.zodiackiller.com and www.zodiackillerfacts.com you will find most do not agree with that idea.

...
For the links.
But instead of joining.
Ill just continue to post here instead.

​

The above may be forced words.
Which may make them useless.
But wanted to post anyways.

FILAR
FLAIR
FRAIL

THAMES
Thames River Ave, Fountain Valley, CA 92708
[ame="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Sanfrancisko,+CA&daddr=Thames+River+Ave,+Fountain+Valley,+CA+92708&geocode=FVJmQAIdKAe0-CkhAGkAbZqFgDH_rXbwZxNQSg%3BFR0jAgIdIOD3-Cm1TOIiVibdgDEDDHiStjHu-A&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=35.061477,-119.734497&sspn=2.391972,5.762329&ie=UTF8&z=7"]San Francisco, CA to Thames River Ave, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 - Google Maps[/ame]

PRESIDO
Without, missing one I.
In Presidio?


​

 

[:+:MrTT:+:]

Why would the top NOT be

ARFIEATAILLLL
IFEARATAILLLL

I FEAR A TAILLLL
​

.....
​

 

[:+:MrTT:+:]

...
For the links.
But instead of joining.
Ill just continue to post here instead.

​

The above may be forced words.
Which may make them useless.
But wanted to post anyways.

FILAR
FLAIR
FRAIL

THAMES
Thames River Ave, Fountain Valley, CA 92708
San Francisco, CA to Thames River Ave, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 - Google Maps

PRESIDO
Without, missing one I.
In Presidio?


​

View [ame="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=Plasse,+CA&aq=0&sll=36.542743,-119.554596&sspn=0.293483,0.720291&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Plasse,+Amador,+California&ll=38.637131,-120.126577&spn=0.017833,0.045018&z=14"]Zodiac Murder Map[/ame] in a larger map">

PLAESS
PLASSE

By Tragedy Spring off of 88

​

 

[:+:MrTT:+:]

This may be old news, but new to me.
I believe this to be correct until proven otherwise.

RLIAF
FILAR

Its to tell us exactly what his sign-off is.

A comparison of different reticles used in telescopic sights.

filar micrometer
A filar micrometer is a device used in astronomical telescopes for [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrometry"]astrometry[/ame] measurements. The word filar derives from Latin filum, a thread. It refers to the fine threads or wires used in the device
[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filar_micrometer[/ame]
[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reticle[/ame]

Could he have had at one time.
A job using the Above?
​

 

[Ladderboy9]

I’ve done a little of looking at the text in the last few days. For all those who think it was encoded…wrong. Jumping letters around in different areas of the message…wrong. Look at the writing. It is made with a felt tip marker/pen, slowly gettiing thicker as it goes down the page. It wasn’t copied due to the fact that the 5th line square was blacked out and a “K” was placed above. Another site showed a forward "K" hidden. As a hint..if you want to read it and it to make sense all the “.” are the end of a sentence. Some of the sentences are a fragment with 2 or 3 comments. The ">" is a "Duh" or "Dee" sound as is the backward "C".
The “9″ and the “triangle” with a “dot” is someones name. I see it as “NINA”.
The common symbol of the zodiac, is the word “YOU”. All the “O”‘s are either “YOU” or a “Oooh” sound. It is just a sound replacement text.
I have about 80% of the 340 done and it is reading as a type of comment letter to a girl to stop her ways.. 11th line down “U +R / O LEIDY” Phonetic for “YOU TRY, YOU LADY”
Below that, 12th line, “YOUR “C” DEALER IS NOT HOME”
Second to last lines translated “IF KISSED LOCAL BOY YOU BE DECIEVED”
It actually does make sense!
Last line does not say “ZODIAC” using the same theme for translation...
ZO AA IK IT. “YOU MAY LIKE IT”

It is apparent that the other decipher text was created by the replacment of letters and symbols. The 340 is not. Hince 2 different styles/2 different people.

The last symbol, on the bottom is simple “YOU”

TAK A OOK A+ Diz N C ef O CN RDN i+

 

[Ladderboy9]

I could be wrong though...

 

[shadowraiths]

Chicago cop spends restless hours on trail of notorious Zodiac killer
Now he believes he has solved 40-year-old cryptogram
April 16, 2011|By Jeremy Gorner, Tribune reporter

Even on his days off from working overnights for the Chicago police, John Lewison usually stayed up through the night and slept during the day.

[...]

And while he's not yet ready to go public with his solution, he believes he has found the bomb location as well as the killer's initials in that mind-bending stew of symbols. He plans to send it to the FBI, he said, but first wants to have it looked over by local cryptography experts.

[...]

Undoubtedly, the odds of Lewison's work breaking new ground in the Zodiac case are fairly slim. None that has been submitted to Olson's unit has ever yielded significant developments in the investigation, he said.

Nonetheless, Lewison is not discouraged. As a law enforcement officer, he said, he feels obligated to see if his decoding efforts pay off.

"My feeling is if I found something … if it has meaning, I'd like it to be used," he said.​

Full article: click here

 

[osme]

The Beatles The Fool on the Hill?

I looked up the lyrics-they are disturbing. Here are some excerpts-

Day after day,
Alone on a hill,
The man with a foolish grin is keeping perfectly still.
But nobody wants to know him,
They can see that he's just a fool,
And he never gives an answer,

But the fool on the hill,
sees the sun going down,
And the eyes in his head,
see the world spinning 'round.

Well on the way,
Head in a cloud,
The man of a thousand voices talking perfectly loud
But nobody ever hears him,
or the sound he appears to make,
and he never seems to notice.

And nobody seems to like him,
they can tell what he wants to do.
and he never show his feelings.

And he never listens to them,
he knows that they're the fools
They don't like him.

 

[MargotKidder]

I am replying to this post, but am quoting a passage from a post that you made on the first page.

"We also see THEO, which is Greek for GOD, and on a vertical downward under the "M" in BOMBS we see DEO, which is Latin for GOD."

Theo and Deo do mean "God" in greek and Latin, but the forms of the words have a different meaning in translation. I am not familiar with Classical Greek, but I believe the Nominative singular of God is Theos. In Latin, the nominative singular of God is Deus. It is a second declension masculine noun. The forms in sentence structure that it would take if it were the word "Deo" would be dative singular, indicating its usage as an indirect object...example: I drove God to the store, where God would be the subjected to the action of the verb. Or deo used as an singular ablative, which would indicate the word being used in conjunction with some sort of preposition, example: I drove to the store with God. However, there are about 15 different forms that an ablative could take.

I responded to this particular post because with all of the grammatical errors in his letter, spellings and what not, I do not see how this killer, if he did write this letter, would be so smart as to use classical Latin in an encrypted code but mispell and use poor grammar in his letter. If it is in intentional, how do you rationalize it?

I enjoyed your post.

 

[AKWILKS]

Thank you very much! I am glad you find it interesting.

First to your question. Many think that the Zodiac mis-spelled words are intentional, an attempted misdirection on his part. Zodiac spelled many complex words correctly, like "ammonium nitrate", "fertilizer", "system" and many others. Yet he he also gave us "cid" for "kid" and many other wrongly spelled easy words. It seems an attempt to make detectives think he is uneducated. Remember also that Zodiac devised codes that the FBI and the military failed to break.

Ted Kaczynski used a similar misdirection as the Unabomber. He sent a letter to a prior victim Prof. Gerlernter, who had written in a book that 'anyone with a college degree can learn computers'. Kaczynski wrote him as the Unabomber and said (from memory) 'what about the rest of us? I suppose those wothout degrees don't coun't'. Ted recorded in his journal that this would make investigators think the Unabomber did not have a college degree - in fact Ted had a degree from Harvard and a PHD from Michigan, but the FBI profile said the Unabomber was likely an angry and undeducated airline mechanic.

Thank you for your information on "THEO" and "DEO". I personally think the most likely explanation for their appearance in the code is that "THEO" is the first four letters in the name "THEODORE", while "DEOR" has the last four. But in fairness I thought I should note that "THEO" is Greek for GOD and "DEO" Latin for GOD. I also thought it could be a double play, i.e., getting his name in there (to satisfy his ego) but also with a valid alternate explanation (God theme obscures true meaning). Your information puts a slightly different spin on it, so I will have to research that issue some more.

Is it not true that in a word like THEOLOGY, the prefix THEO means God or Diety? And while the Greeks believed in multiple Gods, assuming monotheism, would THEO be a rough translation as GOD?

Thanks again for the information.

 

[MargotKidder]

I am not familiar at all with Greek...so to address your question...it would be greek to me, ha ha. Theo does mean god, but what I probably should have said is that the ending on the word will give you a different translation of it, as to how it is used in a sentence. So, while the word does mean God, you would know more about what the person is trying to say if you knew the endings of the words. You could translate better, I suppose.

These are the possible endings when you decline the noun Deus. The root of the word is de-, and you add the ending from there to get how it would be translated in a Latin sentence.

Nom. deus di (dei)
Voc. deus di (dei)
Acc. deum deos
Gen. dei deorum (deum)
Dat. deo dis (deis)
Abl. deo dis (deis

You have to memorize two parts of the word to get how to add the various endings. Deus, dei, masculine, second declension. You take i of of dei and get the root of the noun and add the various endings. This is only true for this word as there are some nouns that are irregular and would be done differently.

Nominative is when the word is the subject of the sentence. So if you look at the chart about Deus would be the subject singular in a sentence. God is good. Di or Dei is nominative plural--The Gods are good.

Vocative singular is Deus, and this case is when you are talking or addressing someone, to God. God, why did you do this to me? or Di/Dei again plural vocative, Gods!! Why did you do this to me!?

Genetive case refers to possession, or owning something. So dei, of the God's, or deorum/deum is of the (many) Gods'.

Anyway, accusative would be when it is used as a direct object and I already explained about dative and ablative.

I am going to look over your attachments and see if anything sticks out. Sorry for the long explanation but it may help and it is some basic knowledge about Latin. It may help you see something in the future that you had not before.

 

[Ladderboy9]

I had previously thought of an idea of what was in the 340 text. I took some time and went through it several times. The only one that actually got message that can be verified is -1, 1, +1. The assumption was that he only used the alphabet and hid the letters by filling in a area. Also that the "Z" could be an "N". The backwards "K". all of them were "T".
Of the combinations that can be assembled using just 3 letters, it was simplified to get what was written.

Using the same format on the name letter is says "A FAN OK PENSMAN"

"PEN" is also referenced in the 340 text.

It also works on the directions to the bomb. I'm not familiar with the map and the reference is obscure but
"CATINO RT AMEA NORTH" "TO FEUSAG DELPOMA". Again using the above, someone more familiar will find the correct spelling.

The 340 is completed the same way, with no assumptions of any letter, except the backward "K".

I have a question to who the 340 letter was sent to. Was it to the editor or to a specific person? I can't find any reference to exactly whom. "JOE" is referenced in the 340 several times.

Looking logically at the code, there are too many cryptic solvers out there. This guy used a replacement text for the other letters. This one looks to be mainly just the same.

It's not on the same theme as the other letters. Just like a personal letter to "JOE"

Using this context, I would like to verify my reading of the 340.

Curtis

 

[Ladderboy9]

I've been wrong before and will probably be again, but prove me this time.
I've been looking at the 340 as trying to un-encrypt it instead of trying to read it. First I went phoentic....what a garbled set of gruts and ooh's. That didn't work. People at work thought I had a stroke. I figured out that all had went through trying to subsitute letters for each symbol. Not wanting to do it again. Yet there are 60 some symbols and not enough letters. But, and I mean but, 1 for 1 was too simple. Even for the writer. But, I discovered, he wasn't that simple. Just one letter off, actually 2 letters off. I have this that others may, or may not, think is legitimate but, I have used it to answer the 340 and the others (My name is..# and the #Bomb is ...#, and it makes sense. I challenge others to use, the same program I did, {EXCEL}#no programming or macros) and to take a look at. To recreate it yourself in Excel use -1, 1 and +1. This would mean an "A" could also be a "B" or, also a "Z". Assume that each letter is a symbol. The zodiac symbol holds an "O" and a "T" or possibly an "X". For each letter, hidden or shown, there is only 3 possibilities for the answer. If 3 letters are a possibility, then there are 9 letters to consider. As a hint in the first couple of lines, the "R" hides a "P". The "O's" are "O's", therefor they can only equal an "N", "O" or "P".
I have the text to all and some of it, believe it or not, is kinda funny, {There is nothing even simular to the previous decoded text, no kill this or kill that}.
To start and to work it out I'll try to set the matrix for the "My name is__" letter. Using the same pretext, everyone will be able to solve the 340.
Use this starting point and expand it. I have my own version of the 340, maybe others will see something else that makes sense. Remember it is a symbolic letter, if it looks like a letter, upside down, sideways, or partial, put it into the matrix and work out the possibilities.
Once you have some of it, I would like to talk about "JOE". He is the main character.

Logically, whomever wrote the text didn't jump from simple replacement of letters to some un-godly code that he didn't want read. If he only wanted people to read and figure out 4 or 5 words, why write a paper of random gibberish.

Let's all get this right and discuss it......

 

[Ladderboy9]

Forgot, there is no wrong answer, just a different way of looking. Although if the first line come out as "ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY..." Hmmm??? Maybe we are seeing what we want to see....

 

[AKWILKS]

With all due respect, it looks like gibberish to me. There are no clear words there, no clear message. With the first solved Zodiac Code, the message was clear "I like killing people...man is the most dangerous game..." I encourage every effort, and everyone can explore their own theories, but there is nothing to suggest Zodiac is doing what you state. He created codes. He did not use symbols to stand for letters that look like the symbol. I am just trying to save you from months of exploring a dead end.

In the 340, the + symbol almost certainly translates as "L", as "L" is one of the most frequent doubled words. And I can go on and on from there. I do believe that Graysmith got a large part of the 340 solution correct. I do believe that what is below is a completely correct or mostly correct solution. You would not get clear words and ideas like "I GIVE THEM HELL TOO...SEE A NAME...THESE FOOLSHALL SEE" otherwise. Plus the diagonal words like LIST, BOMBS, etc.

 

[rlc]

This is going to sound stupid. Especially because I am not actually familiar with what I am looking at (I have not read about this case). But if you look at that set of letters AKWILKS posted as if it is a boggle board, there are a whole lot of words or pairs of words that make it seem like it could be some animal liberation person. Starting with bombs, continuing with the s, you can get "bombs save them". Then under that m, going backwards on the second line, you get "he set last".

I see eat and tail together 3 times. things associated with captivity: bars, ties, stalls. some names of animals, pigs, magpies, seals. I'm guessing it's just coincidence/probability, but I just thought I would throw it out there.

 

[Ladderboy9]

With all due respect, it looks like gibberish to me. There are no clear words there, no clear message. With the first solved Zodiac Code, the message was clear "I like killing people...man is the most dangerous game..." I encourage every effort, and everyone can explore their own theories, but there is nothing to suggest Zodiac is doing what you state. He created codes. He did not use symbols to stand for letters that look like the symbol. I am just trying to save you from months of exploring a dead end.

In the 340, the + symbol almost certainly translates as "L", as "L" is one of the most frequent doubled words. And I can go on and on from there. I do believe that Graysmith got a large part of the 340 solution correct. I do believe that what is below is a completely correct or mostly correct solution. You would not get clear words and ideas like "I GIVE THEM HELL TOO...SEE A NAME...THESE FOOLSHALL SEE" otherwise. Plus the diagonal words like LIST, BOMBS, etc.

I'm not going to mention that, although one way of looking at it, it might seem that you have a partial message. Although one way maybe the way to look at it. I mentioned that here is another way, but using my matrix, not yours, I have a sollution. I know yours is always just conjecture. Use the tools that is given(by gift) and work the question. I have the answer, you , on the other hand, are stuck on someones interpretation. I don't know whom reysmith is and dont care, if you want to solve a question, why use others instead of your own mental attitute. Why repeat what someone professes to know.... I have given the answer to any who wish to look....you..I think..need a different perscription.

The entire text is as explained, just look.....

 

[AKWILKS]

This is going to sound stupid. Especially because I am not actually familiar with what I am looking at (I have not read about this case). But if you look at that set of letters AKWILKS posted as if it is a boggle board, there are a whole lot of words or pairs of words that make it seem like it could be some animal liberation person. Starting with bombs, continuing with the s, you can get "bombs save them". Then under that m, going backwards on the second line, you get "he set last".

I see eat and tail together 3 times. things associated with captivity: bars, ties, stalls. some names of animals, pigs, magpies, seals. I'm guessing it's just coincidence/probability, but I just thought I would throw it out there.

Thats Amazing! Great job!

Zodiac sent bomb threats to the media, threatening to blow up a school bus full of children. Zodiac later denied he had set off a lethal bomb at a SFPD police station that killed an officer, though no one was ever caught. There were several unsolved bombings in San Francisco and Berkeley at the time, including one that took down a power line to a nuclear research facility. A leading Zodiac suspect was then a professor at Berkeley, Ted Kaczynski, who believed in the supremacy of nature and wild animals over technology and talked often of the "restraints" of society and how it kept people on a "leash". Ted hunted animals for food, but believed he lived in harmony with nature, and championed wild animals and untouched nature over industrialization. Ted certainly did believe that as the Unabomber his bombs were the only way to save natural man, wild animals and nature from a biotechnological nightmare of genetically engineered humans and animals and a computer takeover.

I see these possibles:

THESE BOMBS SAVE THEM

DUEL

Backwards 2nd line: HE SET LAST (BOOT) or HE SET LAST TOO HELL

Animals: MAGPIES PIGS SEALS ARF TAIL EAT

Restraints: TIES LEASH BARS STALLS LASH BALL TAKE LOSE

In fairness to ladderboy we can discuss my 340 solution here: [ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6712456#post6712456"]Zodiac 340 Cryptogram Solution - Page 3 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame]

 

[AKWILKS]

Robert Graysmith wrote the book "Zodiac", which sold 4 million copies, renewed interest in the case and was the basis for the David Fincher film "Zodiac". His solution to the Zodiac 340 was mostly correct, and with improvements by Zander Kite and myself, and a new analysis, I think we have the correct solution. Others can disagree.

Ladderboy wrote:

Using the same format on the name letter is says "A FAN OK PENSMAN"

"PEN" is also referenced in the 340 text.

It also works on the directions to the bomb. I'm not familiar with the map and the reference is obscure but
"CATINO RT AMEA NORTH" "TO FEUSAG DELPOMA". Again using the above, someone more familiar will find the correct spelling.


AK - I applaud your effort, perhaps you are on to something, but I just don't understand what the message is. That is not clear English words or ideas. "THESE BOMBS SAVE THEM" is a clear idea.

 

[Ladderboy9]

rlc,
Thanks for not thinking narrowly..?....My only inflection was to get people to look at things on a different way. I have worked out the text. It has an trend of a personal letter to the editor. There is no reference to "KILL" or "DIE", or whatever. My answer, to others is that, he was a product of the 70's. no computer, no 128 bit encryption code. Just a pencil and paper. If people would take the time and think, for themselves, the answer, to the riddle, will no longer be a riddle. The answer, is as described. I share this only this time....or..........Who is Graysmith?

By the way it didn't take months to work this out...just a couple of hours. Maybe a day total, as far as time goes.

I do have the answer, you can also following -1, 1, and +1

rlc, I apologize. Just if you cant prove me wrong, why try....that was the question!!