# Enigma wrapped in a riddle wrapped in creamy chocolate

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enigma-wrapped-in-a-riddle-wrapped-in-creamy-chocolate/279210>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 10, 2004, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enigma-wrapped-in-a-riddle-wrapped-in-creamy-chocolate/279210 "2004-12-10T21:10:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enigma-wrapped-in-a-riddle-wrapped-in-creamy-chocolate/279210/1 "2004-12-10T21:10:08Z")

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It almost seems that everywhere I turn, someone is using the phrase “A riddle wrapped in a puzzle surrounded by an enigma” or some such phrase. I know it was used in Oliver Stone’s “JFK” but I’ve also heard it elsewhere.

Who originally said it, what was the actual phrase and what was he referring to?

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**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enigma-wrapped-in-a-riddle-wrapped-in-creamy-chocolate/279210/2 "2004-12-10T21:12:43Z")

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“Russia is a riddle wrapped in an enigma inside a mystery.” --Winston Churchill.

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**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enigma-wrapped-in-a-riddle-wrapped-in-creamy-chocolate/279210/3 "2004-12-10T21:13:04Z")

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Normally attributed to Winston Churchill, re the Soviet Union.

[http://www.wordpower.ws/quotations-churchill.html](http://www.wordpower.ws/quotations-churchill.html)

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**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enigma-wrapped-in-a-riddle-wrapped-in-creamy-chocolate/279210/4 "2004-12-10T21:22:14Z")

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Ooh! Ooo! I know! It was Wins-

Crap!

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**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enigma-wrapped-in-a-riddle-wrapped-in-creamy-chocolate/279210/5 "2004-12-10T21:23:58Z")

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The Simpsons riffed on this in episode 4F01, in which Lisa thought to herself about Nelson Muntz, “He’s like a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a vest. He sure is ugly, though.”