# Sunday Morning Puzzle #49 --A Mysterious Letter **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 19, 2002, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-49-a-mysterious-letter/109823 "2002-05-19T15:35:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-49-a-mysterious-letter/109823/1 "2002-05-19T15:35:22Z")
You had been planning to spend this Sunday relaxing and gloating to yourself over your success in catching a couple of nasty spies just two weeks ago (SMP #47). Unfortunately, the phone rings and once again CIA Special Agent Jones needs your services. Damn, it’s tough being the best cryptologist in the country! When you get to CIA Headquarters you hear this story: The Government has been watching Hugo Lange, a foreign businessman, on his trips to America. They believe him to be a spy, but there is no concrete proof. Yesterday he was spotted acting suspiciously while visiting the National Zoo. Agents observed a woman sneak up behind Lange and slip a note into his pocket. Lange seemed not to notice, but the concerned agents took both he and the woman into custody. However, when the CIA experts read the passed letter, they could make nothing of it. That’s why you have been called onto the case. The woman is Melanie Smith. Her current job is with the Defense Department. She claims that she and Lange once had a torrid love affair, and she likes to slip him notes occasionally just to remind him of their happy past. Melanie Smith seems a typical working single mother. Jones looks at you sternly. “We believe Melanie Smith is somehow passing secrets, and possibly getting paid big bucks. Without any evidence, though, there’s nothing we can do. The note does contain a rather cryptic passage. Unless we can figure out the true meaning of it—we’ll have to let both suspects go.” He hands you a copy of the mysterious letter. It reads: * * * Dearest Hugo, Ready for a surprise? I am planning to slip this note into your pocket without your knowledge. Then, when you find it, you will have many pleasant memories about the kids and me. We miss you terribly. Martha is doing quite well in school. She brought home excellent grades this year. Johnny says “hello”. He made the varsity swimming team. Finally, little Cindy is just beginning to play around. She is into everything! Why, just yesterday I found her typing carefully on the computer. Just read the gibberish Cindy wrote: “hor_s_e ho_r_se **k** itt **y** cats dog mu **l** e fish _ki_tt_y_cat cow hi _ **S** _coobydoo zebras mom puppy C kitt **yc** ats haha hop funny **b** u **n** n **y** bear oh hah cookie ca_k_e hi s **i** ll **y** h **ea** d sw_a_n h_i_ can **d** y horsey playdoh game _pup_pydog rabbit_s_ hop _b_oat me mommy girl dog_g_ie flop ca_k_e Bar **b** ie babydol_l_s haha Pokemon eek Bar_n_ey _h_i bo_ys_ goofy fu **n** ny ha nnnn **n** n oooooooo ppp po **n** y ho ho z **o** o m_a_ma hop **c** hick princess **ki** ttycat _b_arn yard tree hop up game cow pony **f** rog h_o_psk_o_tc **h** b_a_b **y** monke_ys_ sc **h** ool pond doll bike ride haha me bracelet no o **b** as_e_bal **l** o” Too funny! XXOO, Melanie * * * You stare at the note with furrowed brow. “Kid’s gibberish eh?” you say. “Give me a little time and I’ll have an answer for you.” But can you really do it? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-49-a-mysterious-letter/109823/2 "2002-05-19T15:54:18Z")
[clarification of poor writing] Lange did, of course, notice being taken into custody. He seemed to not notice the note being put in his pocket. [/clarification] ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-49-a-mysterious-letter/109823/3 "2002-05-19T17:43:27Z")
Frankly, if a woman were fooling around in _my_ pockets, I’m not sure I’d notice being taken into custody, either. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Redboss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8baadc/32.png) [@Redboss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redboss)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-49-a-mysterious-letter/109823/4 "2002-05-20T08:08:56Z")
stumped. grumpy and stumped. don’t keep me waiting too long please… R\*\*e[/]db_os_ s ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-49-a-mysterious-letter/109823/5 "2002-05-20T13:05:30Z")
Your phone rings early this Monday morning. It’s Special Agent Jones, and he doesn’t sound happy. “We had to let them both go this morning,” he says. “And that’s not all…” He fills you in on these details: 1. The Defense Department has discovered that plans for a new supersecret missle have disappeared. These MUST not be allowed to get into foreign hands. 2. Melanie Smith has been placed on paid leave by the Defense Department until this is cleared up. Her apartment and office have been searched. No results. Ms. Smith is threatening to sue everybody unless she is allowed to return to work and publicly cleared of these suspicions. 3. Hugo Lange has completely disappeared after eluding agents soon after his release. All agents and police in the city are on alert. Airports are being watched. “We believe we can still get the plans for the missle back and send these two to jail.” says Jones. “But you must decode that letter soon in order for us to succeed. Your country depends on you.” ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-49-a-mysterious-letter/109823/6 "2002-05-20T13:51:49Z")
I’ve not looked at one of these before so it’s hard getting the mindset. I’m wondering if the kids are superfluous to the code _itself_ and that maybe the ‘XXOO’ above her signature leads you in ? ‘supersecret missle’: Hmmm… ‘…fu **n** ny ha nnnn **n** n oooooooo ppp po **n** y ho ho zoo…’ I wonder if the money amount is mentioned here ? What’s the code for ‘floundering’ ? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-49-a-mysterious-letter/109823/7 "2002-05-20T14:07:18Z")
**London\_Calling** : You don’t think they’d call a super secret missile by it’s real name do you? “ **Supersecret Missle** ” was the code name approved at the highest level of Government! It was supposed to fool the foreign operatives…but I guess it didn’t. Actually, I should never try to spell, before my first cup of coffee. My eyes are too blurry. ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-49-a-mysterious-letter/109823/8 "2002-05-20T18:29:12Z")
What - you couldn’t’ve trumped up a few charges to hold them a little longer? Just what kind of bureaucracy are you running here? I’m working on it, I’m working on it! ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-49-a-mysterious-letter/109823/9 "2002-05-21T13:31:12Z")
There’s a knock at your door. It’s Agent Jones. "Sorry to wake you so early,"says Jones. “But while you were sleeping we’ve been getting a good deal accomplished.” He tells you the following: At around 4am this morning Melanie Smith left her apartment with her three kids. Agents tailed her. Ms Smith deposited the children at her mother’s house. From there she drove downtown to the Willard Hotel. She proceeded to the front desk and asked for the room of a Mr. John Doe. The desk clerk tried to ring up the room of this “Mr. Doe”, but no one was there. Melanie Smith left a note at the desk for Mr. Doe. She then returned to her own apartment. Agents made a copy of this new note. At 7am this morning Hugo Lange sauntered into the Willard, picked up the mail for Mr. Doe, and went up to his room. Obviously, John Doe and Hugo Lange are the same person. Agents went to his room, and Lange gave them permission to search. The agents could find nothing. Plans for the “supersecret missle” were not there. Here is the note Melanie Smith left at the Willard: * * * Dearest Hugo, (Weep. Weep.) I am so sorry about the awful occurrence at the National Zoo. How could anybody even think we were spies? Both of us should sue. Little Cindy has produced another masterpiece to maybe somehow cheer us up. It appears thus: “woof _mo_n_s_ter on on on _l_au **g** h _p_ennies **d** imes **o** r _f_lounder_i_ **n** _g_ mothers **l** ollip **o** p Ken dolly Barbie dad prince **on** on ball **g** _a_mes play up train toys Ma **d** onna eeeee fff ggg kittycat boy is sillywilly dres_s_ **m_om_** bunny ducky on an o” Take care. XXOO, Melanie * * * The agents couldn’t arrest either Lange or Smith because nothing they did here was illegal. Lange once again proclaimed his innocence. He would not tell us where he had been the previous evening. “It’s like they’re both laughing at us, almost daring us to crack their code. They think they’re so smart,” says Jones with obvious frustration. “I will figure out the meaning of these bizarre notes,” you promise. “They won’t be laughing long. ‘Weep weep’ indeed.” Agent Jones heads toward the door to leave, and then pauses. “It may not be important…probably just a coincidence. Still…” “What?” you ask. “An odd thing happened last night at the National Zoo. Someone sneaked into the zoo and drugged several of the large cats. This morning zoo employees found eight of the animals out cold from tranquilizers. Good thing too. This unidentified someone had entered their cages overnight, and then left leaving the cage doors wide open.” ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-49-a-mysterious-letter/109823/10 "2002-05-23T03:43:23Z")
**Now this from Agent Jones** – Text of a letter sent this morning from Hugo Lange to Melanie Smith (this letter was intercepted and copied by agents): * * * Dear Melanie, My heart goes out to you. Remember to be a strong person. The main thing is that you are innocent. Did I tell you that my young son Carl is also a computer devotee? Here is a work done mighty recently by Carl at home: “ball i_n_ _ga_me of Super_m_a_n_ B_a __tma__ n hero kick_ o to bike _f_ighter ki_t_tyc_a_t o rock **t** o H_u_lk t **he** fence on ti **me** bat ball o win **fo** _o_tball t **e** e cut goal _up_ _r_elay **ra** ce **tie** scores s **e** cond _ **c** _ as w_e_ ca **tc** h_e_rs hit at bo **y** gi **r** l s **p** ort _ **c** d_” Regards, Hugo * * * We allowed the note to go through hoping it would somehow tip their hand. Then everything went to hell. Early this evening, all the agents watching Melanie Smith and Hugo Lange were hit by poisoned darts. The poison was the same exact kind used on the zoo animals. While the agents slept, both Melanie Smith and Hugo Lange disappeared. We have no idea where they are. We have no idea where the plans for the “supersecret missle” offensive missile are. An off-duty policeman reported seeing a couple resembling these two down by the docks, but he’s really not sure. We have no other leads. In short, everything is now up to you. For God’s sake…Crack this code!! ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-49-a-mysterious-letter/109823/11 "2002-05-24T03:25:55Z")
Now let me get this straight, Agent Jones. Your boys couldn’t hold onto the suspects when you had them in custody, you couldn’t even keep them under proper surveillance - and now it’s all up to _me_? Gee, thanks. I’m sorry to report that I haven’t faired any better than the rest of your agents. I’ve tried everything I can think of on this stinking code but I still haven’t cracked it. Perhaps if I throw out a few of my ideas here, some other members of our little Blecchley Park community will add their observations and together we can solve this thing. ( **Peregrine, Monkey Mensch, Eutychus, anybody??** ) I thought London\_Calling had a good idea about the XXOO and spent some time trying different combinations of words and letters, taking the XXOO to mean something like “off off on on.” Nothing. I made a brief detour taking it literally as “hugs and kisses” when I saw that our spy’s name was “Hug-o” but that led me precisely nowhere. I toyed with the notion that the coded message was in the body of the note and _not_ the gibberish - the gibberish was just a blind - but that idea didn’t play out, either. So what am I left with? A series of letters that are underlined and italicized, or bolded, or all three. Why underlined _and_ italicized? I ask myself - either one alone would be enough to indicate the letter is “special.” The only conclusion I came up with is that the indicated letters must undergo _two_ transformations of some sort to be read correctly - bolds make one change and the bold, italicized, underlined letters require all three operations. But what to change them to and how? When I found myself trying “inside out” for italic and “upside down” for underlined, I decided it was time to give it up and come here to make a plea for help. **Help!** ---
**Author:** ![Peregrine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a6a055/32.png) [@Peregrine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peregrine)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-49-a-mysterious-letter/109823/12 "2002-05-24T04:19:33Z")
“Jones,” I say, “I didn’t get to be the best cryptologist in the country without knowing when and where to go for help. It’s time to call in the SDMB.” I log on and open my notes to the best minds on the board. “Here’s what I’ve got so far,” I enter. “In each of the coded messages, the lead-in text has exactly the same number of words as the cryptic text. Not only that, but it has the same number of one-letter words, the same number of two-letter words, and so on. This includes Melanie’s ‘too funny’ and ‘take care’, but not the XXOO or Hugo’s ‘Regards’. The salutations don’t count either. I still can’t find a pattern to the italic and bold letters, and I can’t think how word-length could be used to produce a code.” Now I get back to my analyzing efforts, confident that we’ll soon have this cracked. After all, I’ve heard that the dependable **aseymayo** is around. ---
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-49-a-mysterious-letter/109823/13 "2002-05-24T05:13:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by aseymayo \* > I toyed with the notion that the coded message was in the body of the note and _not_ the gibberish - the gibberish was just a blind - but that idea didn’t play out, either. I thought of that too and also didn’t find anything. A series of letters that are underlined and italicized, or bolded, or all three. Why underlined _and_ italicized? I ask myself - either one alone would be enough to indicate the letter is “special.” \*\* [/QUOTE] But I never thought of that. I figured it was just two transformations. Damn. Biotop. I’ve never opened your puzzles before because I just KNEW I would become obsesses. I hate you. ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-49-a-mysterious-letter/109823/14 "2002-05-24T05:21:57Z")
**Peregrine,** you are goddamned brilliant! It’s a mirror! Agent Jones - get your men out to the marina and look for a boat named “Kittycat.” The words of the gibberish message are a mirror of the words in the message above it. In the final message, “My heart goes out to you” corresponds with the gibberish message starting backwards, “cd sport girl boy at hit.” So we align the gibberish to match the note and compare the letters. Reading the ital & underlined first we get “MY BOAT IS NAMED KITTYCAT.” Reading the bold letters next, we get “MEET ME AT THE MARINA.” You can work out the other messages on your own. THANK YOU **PEREGRINE!!** **Sue** - don’t feel too bad; turns out I was wrong about the three transformations anyway! ---
**Author:** ![Peregrine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a6a055/32.png) [@Peregrine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peregrine)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-49-a-mysterious-letter/109823/15 "2002-05-24T06:16:44Z")
“Another job well done!” enthuses Agent Jones. “We broke the code all right,” I mutter, “but I’d better spend a term in remedial codebreaker training. Any supposedly top-notch cryptologist ought to think of backwards text right away. It’s the oldest trick in the book. And it’s not the first time I’ve overlooked that particular ploy, either.” But Agent Jones isn’t listening. He’s already breaking out the cheap champagne. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-49-a-mysterious-letter/109823/16 "2002-05-24T13:55:10Z")
With the plans for the “supersecret missle” now safely back in the Pentagon, a thankful nation sends out yet another round of kudos to **aseymayo, Peregrine** , and the rest of the SDMB. Once again these boards are here in our hour of need. Post mission mop-up: 1. I have found that single italicized or single underlined letters are easy to miss in text. I’m sure our culprits felt the same way, and therefore used both methods to make sure the important letter stood out. 2. “Dearest Hugo”, and “XXOO, Melanie” also reverse properly as does “Dear Melanie” and “Regards, Hugo”. Of course there were no code letters in these extras, but they did make for an exact reverse of first half of each of the notes in the second half of the same note. 3. Despite the importance of this case, Special Agent Jones would never trump up charges to hold suspects. After all, innocent until proven guilty, you know. 4. What with all the notes passing this week between our spies, there wasn’t time for me to write a puzzle for this coming Sunday. However, if someone else has a puzzle idea they want to give a try this weekend… I’d love to work on one from the puzzle solver’s point of view. Any volunteers? 5. There is an idea I’m working on for the following week though…and alas, I think Agent Jones and the world of spy villains may be involved. So enjoy the cheap champagne-- for now!