FBI Top Secret Hunt - SOLVED 6/3/24

[forgottenhistoryhunt]

Now that my Masquerade hunt is solved and over, it's time to get back to my regular hunts. Here is the first one - from the files of the FBI :-)

Instructions for FBI Top Secret Hunt

1. This is a totally armchair hunt. No travel is required.

2. Winner must have a US address.

3. Send your answer to me via messaging here on MW. Please put the name of the hunt (FBI Confidential) in the subject line.

4. Your challenge is to decipher the coded message and the answer will be an exact quote along with its author. If your answer is not exact, I will tell you it is incorrect.

5. Partial answers will not be accepted.

6. Because it is summer and I'm busy, I will check my messages and respond as often as I can, but be patient and don't think I'm ignoring you :-) Also, please wait for my response before submitting another attempt. (thank you!)

7. If you are part of a team, please assign one member as spokesperson who will submit all answers for the team. This will help me avoid confusion.

8. Feel free to message me with any questions, comments. I will answer any questions on the public forum.

9. Message me if you feel there is an error. Despite my best efforts, sometimes mistakes &/or typos do sneak in!

10. Have fun and good luck!


-FHH

[forgottenhistoryhunt]

Link to pdf for this image: ibb.co/SnDVcgq

Link to to PDF for this image: ibb.co/QcgJVq4

[forgottenhistoryhunt]

The prize for this hunt is a 1 Troy oz. bar of Alien Titanium :-)

[forgottenhistoryhunt]

An eagle-eyed treasure hunter spotted a typo on line 35 where it says:

HASNOWADVISEDTHATHEFC

It should read:

HASNOWADVISEDTHATTHEFC

but it should not affect your interpretation or analysis of the text.

Let me know if you find any other typos.

-FHH

[forgottenhistoryhunt]

Another sharp-eyed sleuth and another typo:

Line two reads: SEPTEMBERNINEFOURTEENFORTYSEVEN

It should read: SEPTEMBERNINENINETEENFORTYSEVEN

Thanks and be sure to let me know if you find more. After checking and rechecking multiple times, you start to see what you want to see!

[retro]

Jun 1, 2024 5:53:00 GMT -5 forgottenhistoryhunt said:

An eagle-eyed treasure hunter spotted a typo on line 35 where it says:

HASNOWADVISEDTHATHEFC

It should read:

HASNOWADVISEDTHATTHEFC

but it should not affect your interpretation or analysis of the text.

Let me know if you find any other typos.

-FHH

What about end of Line 4. Should it be "bureau" - Missing a "U"

[FireGypsy]

What about how it says "link to PDF" but neither files are PDF?

[catherwood]

even the FBI is full of humans -- or reptilians posing as humans -- no life form is perfect.

[forgottenhistoryhunt]

I was away over the weekend but when I returned, I had three correct submissions. Luckily, I have enough 'alien' bars of titanium so all will get one :-)

The winners are:

retro

Brute_Forcing for Team ShadowGate

elysethecat for the Z-Team

Congratulations to the winners!

-FHH

[forgottenhistoryhunt]

Jun 1, 2024 11:37:57 GMT -5 FireGypsy said:

What about how it says "link to PDF" but neither files are PDF?

I downloaded two PDF's into the imgbb site so I could post them here. I was not aware they don't store them as PDFs, but it's never been a problem with being able to zoom in to see details clearly.

[forgottenhistoryhunt]

FBI Top Secret Hunt solution.

The text was taken from actual FBI documents investigating a report by a woman that there was a coded message printed in the local newspaper regarding flying discs and Martians. The FBI apparently was vigilant in investigating this report, sending memos to different departments and interviewing people before deciding it was just a hoax :-)

Hidden in the text are 26 numbers spelled out. You take those numbers and apply them to the coded message farther down in the text:

TMYSSESONENSENNDARALSOPUALTEDITERARYESTENMOTCIAHISTLIWLRUSPIDGNITTWONTIRMANASOSRERODYGLIFNOWDRLFONERUDIATWAESTWRASIKSDUHNMA

The first two numbers are SIX and EIGHT, so the first word of the coded message is 6 letters: TMYSSE, the second word is the next 8 letters: ONENSENN, and so on.

Once you have the letters of each word, you can either rearrange the letters to spell words, or you can use an anagram solver. The first two words are SYSTEM and NONSENSE.

Assign the letters A-Z, in alphabetical order, to each word as it appears in the coded message:
SYSTEM = A, NONSENSE = B, ETC.

Then go to the note on the outside of the folder and put the words in order as indicated:

Y-15, so Y (the 25th word) should be placed in the 15th position

D-10, so D (the 4th word) should be placed in the 10th position

L-17, so L (the 11th word) should be placed in the 17th position and so on for all 26 words.

Then unscramble "Hormadai" into "Radio Ham" (or Ham Radio) – the 'name' of the person who sent in the letter to the editor stating he had received this coded radio message.

The correct answer is what my 26 words in order translates to (I left out one word to fit the 26-word format):

TIRED OF HUMAN NONSENSE WON'T AWAIT ATOMIC WAR DISRUPTING SOLAR SYSTEM SO SENT FLYING DISKS AND WILL SET UP WORLD ORDER UNDER MARTIANS LATE THIS YEAR.
- RADIO HAM

The original Letter to the Editor in the "County Irritant" section of Newsday, Thursday, July 10, 1947:

"Calling for Decoders
Bellmore - About nine at night on July 4th I received the following shortwave message in code, origin unknown. I kept listening, and about an hour later the message was repeated letter for letter. I can't figure out what it means, but here it is:

DITER FO NUHMA SOESNENN TWON LATWA MOTCIA WRA RUSPIDGNIT DREOR LASOR STEYMS SO STEN YLFNIG SKIDS DAN WLIL EST UP WLORD DREOR NERUD TIRMANAS TEAL HIST ARYE. – RADIO HAM"

And the full translation of this coded message (27 words) is:

TIRED OF HUMAN NONSENSE WON'T AWAIT ATOMIC WAR DISRUPTING ORDER SOLAR SYSTEM SO SENT FLYING DISKS AND WILL SET UP WORLD ORDER UNDER MARTIANS LATE THIS YEAR.
-Radio Ham

Either of these versions was considered correct.

[forgottenhistoryhunt]

Jun 1, 2024 12:46:49 GMT -5 catherwood said:

even the FBI is full of humans -- or reptilians posing as humans -- no life form is perfect.

Certainly THIS life form isn't perfect!

[mofinn]

Kudos to the winners; and Congrats to FHH for another intriguing and amusing hunt! The explanation is very clear and concise; thanks!