Kryha: 8th Problem

Munitions Building, 21st B Street, Washington, D.C.

 

June 15, 1931

 

Hello Mr. Friedman,

 

For once, it's not you proposing a challenge, but

we proposing one to you. It's somewhat similar to

the one concerning the Hebern machine, which you

brilliantly won. It consists of 10 messages encryp-

ted with the Kryha equipped with the standard

17-sector wheel. The messages are in English with-

out separators. They concern the blockade of

Venezuela in 1902.

 

Following our work on the Kryha, Hurt created

this challenge to test whether a skilled crypto-

logist, using short, non-overlapping messages

(like those broken by Parker Hitt), can withstand

the efforts of ardent cryptanalysts like our-

selves. Initially, Sinkov, Kullback, and I tried

to break the messages without success. That is

why we are proposing these to you, and why we

ask you to explain how to solve it. I hope you

will not be offended by our audacity in rever-

sing the roles (teacher, students). Our goal is

to advance the science of deciphering.

 

Respectfully,

 

Frank B. Rowlett

 

--- Message 01

OODDX ZALQW WILOW TNCJI SHPZF YFTLZ NQCAZ IMYLR

MCXGA VZMOW KFLHX RBZPT SLQWH XZZSE HDVZX HHQAS

MFMOP YAQZA JHTZT VNOXA MIQMJ KUGWE BHBLT ESKRO

VONMV WQGXS TXIPW HBKFM ZNJPK SGGTY IHGSO AEXSM

OCBEB TELJA VWCAR WWABN RWSWU WDXYK IACYU YBHDT

CQDCN KSHIH QXCNM OWNPF IOENZ UFFOQ YHLQR HKUGU

TX

 

--- Message 02

QQFFX WLOBR QEMOL FQRXW LCBFD FEAOG FTTIW ZZWSS

IXZEC IDIDY MVFPS OAMVM QWVWI NNMJW ZZPFC NQKSA

VOFQY MCFVH WAZBV BVREP YNSEG RACMR FLQAZ XPXKM

ULESF TZHTQ HXQZA ETSTK HRRWS DSFSF RJSLW MOHYC

QWFPL RBEAB BNOFO ZQLAR JXWPX BCNTL KAGSW ZHPSG

XAEQW LXOXU KXLWY UAZSR HOZBM BRXAD ASIMJ EWTCN

CLSDF NIPIS WRZNT VGUZR KHETS FYZFZ EPBVC JELDR

VE

 

--- Message 03

TTQQX LQKVH JBTDJ SRJKW QGKBG FPJCQ CWDOC LPIWV

RTUDB HHUJN TLTTZ LPTBK CULPI VSZHJ BLDGE PWWVE

SFJCO NQLQR KSKHW NSROJ XZFHO LVKJL TZFXB KSLWC

GAVKI JNBHR NBDFB LZNIJ JRKOD WBDJA NHUBJ JSIVK

XNBLJ ICAOK NOTLK XTMDV LXNIU FKQOU RAGVS CQJNX

GFFAE PWYNG TPHXK PGXUV LIELQ LPSQD SLSFC YMNTR

JUCUP AOAJH GWRBC FPSVN DMJQK LLATC WYFNQ TTWZR

FQZIU ULQWU DRMZ

 

--- Message 04

CCUUX DSNBF MJWSK BFGZC FLQXP YUWMB IYHCV HITUE

OZGPB IJGUN BRJIA HGKCZ PRYUF JBYNW CKPUZ LFDCJ

VMLJZ MSQQF JBOXO XKDCA OJUTH DKVGX IQHRO XXBZD

UNQPS UCJVF XSMML DSHVY IWMDC HSYKU MSTYT YSMVF

GHFZO HXOZL IZQOK ANSMP ZLCXA VLBTA QXGNF NTASJ

VVABK MFEZJ ZARZS YURRO ESFQA VKILD IANKJ H

 

--- Message 05

KKOOX JLWSV WVXUR LCWEM LRZFI ECAWJ SBCUR PNUOA

XZIMZ CLGFA CYZLP MVQFJ PKACO OWSHQ YVWRI AZJYZ

KPRQI AYCOT URPKL WMOHJ JWTIS TPYEA HQKUA ZNFGP

WHLUW BLCKL NAXJF TCHDH WSBAV DDJPC SBFQH DWYDV

MOJUM VHGEW BOEYF VECQZ FXBPS QVNNK QDXHT YCRMD

UKHCL RWPYE KLWXH HXASK MGPJY TBKML GGJVM CUZFI

QONRA QWLYH XUGNH GAURY VTAWR TYBTL PESFQ YPNOR

YZKEC DBIXK MDRUZ

 

--- Message 06

NNYYX JUVRW HCIIU VYLBR LGPQD MACJA NVORF ZACTC

NLHOX UBCXY PZQNU BQADR YXWEV FDVXO XXCNL QDWSA

ZYLJA GVCYS FYZHD ZUNUK DHOLX YDWID VZOZL KBKNG

RLGBD ITCQY DYCLO LXWKA TGOKU ZBSOH UWCLO QJUOX

JMYGG IVKWS FJZMZ NOZXZ EWLEY IOZRN KZGEZ GTHXP

KFSMW NGTBU VPZDG YVVBG GVKUR EDJAU NWELL OCFGY

M

 

--- Message 07

SSIIX CMJYA ZKGKJ QTMRE SWVBT WJJZV MPVBS PZHYP

GYRPI FJJMV CJDIK TALRL TLKBF JUVOA OAPSH XZBXZ

IHDPG QWQAC HQLSD FOJEJ VFASO UCIEH NDGQE IPKBO

EVIAV XKSEL PDIWC GMTZP TPACP ZUTWC LQEDK FDSXF

SZFPR YLOFA XDXSI VNOKA BFAQI JJDFF KBVLJ KRBUF

AVSMN UYPPA CRXBA MZSZR BXRDA DSMHC MWIVO KMOLQ

VYD

 

--- Message 08

IIBBX HTYJK MURUR XVDVU VLIEH CUSQF BCDWL KGTLF

XIKDY XDVLC HSREH ODOYC AYVNQ VSGHT LRALY TADDB

MZMHY VAKCA CZPFD CAEXI JGZEU TFDSL OEBIU DJIKV

JIMOO JPZPT WKDAN PAJPY TJTAV DNDWY CLUWB XRHCZ

GRQZJ MZAUD WAQKF GENZX DEUTE LQDEL TITXK MPWJE

LTKAD SCLQM XJPHB TKFHV GMDWC YYGBF FBQIJ PWVYW

WCOXG YHROX XJTZZ WTDIE KXCTL V

 

--- Message 09

FFGGX GVQIN KDELK GPLIE AQZJI HOTGD BVYMV AZLUX

KFYYE SZITQ UXFHM OAUHI TJMKR VYLTD KSMQS VNGXH

ODCIR QCJOA UBQXO DNDVO FKQQR XJZFD CPHEF EULHT

AMWBL ECVHS IJRXY ONNFF FNOJR WJPFG LXCPW XMIEP

EMFTP CTVGK GYLXA OLUXZ NKGPZ UMBMT JVHBY QSEMT

IXMXH HGGXE UCIDM TCHJT IZORJ IQDSK BOOVF RAVUT

OVMWM PAGRW BQLAO PUCBC NSBIJ YRASS IGJ

 

--- Message 10

UUPPX BSFLQ HGDEY LLSRZ BSXTL BCOFT AOUZX UDAAG

LZXOK LTYHT FQXCV RLKTO UZRJV ZUGLD AMTWL FMOJR

LDKFH TPVUF AAJBO QPRTU BSXTZ DEELT HTCND ONHKR

UOQEQ WETLC BLVAB NLRJY MHXCA CEOKV TJEZJ KGZKZ

PEXNV HDFNG QYLWV JEIXU SGQPK WHFVF JWPWK IUFPK

WYHRA UAYGK QBDZH CVXBV FXCGT XJRCK DJZWW FADFB