A DEEP DIVE INTO THE ALBANY LETTER AND CODE

5/4/2024

Daily News, July 22nd 1973

On August 1st 1973 (I believe) the Zodiac Killer mailed the Albany Times Union letter and cryptogram threatening murder towards the Albany Medical Center in New York. This communication, irrespective of who mailed it, was triggered by an article by Kermit Jaediker that appeared in the New York Daily News on July 22nd 1973 entitled "A Code For Murder". The response in the letter was "You were wrong, I am not dead or in the hospital. I am alive and well and I'm going to start killing again. Below is the name and location of my next victim. But you had better hurry because I'm going to kill her August 10th at 5:00 pm when the shift change. Albany is a nice town". It contained a code (shown below) stating
"(12 characters undeciphered). Albany Medical Center this only the beginning".

Bearing in mind that this newspaper article was entitled "A Code For Murder" and began with the wording "Zodiac, a screwball with two hobbies, killing and cryptograms, hasn't been heard from for quite a spell now", one shouldn't be surprised that the Zodiac Killer replied with "I'm going to start killing again" and added a new cryptogram. Later in the article, with respect to the Zodiac Killer's earliest murders, it stated "Police were leaning toward the mad murderer theory. This line of reasoning was virtually confirmed Aug. 1 when Gibson Publications, publishers of the morning Vallejo Times-Herald and the evening News-Chronicle, received a thick envelope postmarked San Francisco". The beginning three lines of the cryptogram mailed to the Vallejo Times-Herald were featured at the top of this recent newspaper article.

So is it a coincidence that the Albany cipher letter was postmarked August 1st, tying in with the Daily News article and the Zodiac Killer's demands in 1969 (including the one to the Vallejo Times-Herald), stating "I want you to print this cipher on your frunt page by Fry Afternoon Aug 1". Another unusual coincidence between the Albany cryptogram (above) and the portion of cipher shown in the July 22nd 1973 newspaper article (below), is that both have 51 ciphertext characters. When the Albany code was cracked, it finished with "This is only the beginning". The 51 ciphertext characters from the Vallejo Times-Herald shown below were ironically the beginning of the Zodiac Killer's cryptographic exploits, as explained in the latest newspaper article, which read "When decoded it began "I like killing people".

The Zodiac Killer had never before May 1971 used ciphertext squares with lines bisecting them, he had never used a sun cross character (Zodiac crosshairs without overhanging lines), a circle with internal lines, or a standalone number as a ciphertext character (only a reversed P in the Z408 and circled 8 in the Z13). The 148 and 51 character cryptograms mailed in (probably) May 1971 and August 1st 1973 respectively, not only were consecutive cryptograms claimed by a Zodiac Killer, but both had these overlapping features. A reversed N and reversed slanted N was also a possibility. The ciphertext character 7 featured in both cryptograms - and in both instances represented the plaintext letter A. It is extremely rare for killers or copycats to mail communications to the press. It is even rarer when those communications contain cryptograms. So how rare is it that two consecutive communications would be mailed by somebody claiming to be the Zodiac Killer, who added a cryptogram to their letter, both containing at least four overlapping features never before used by the Zodiac Killer, who utilized the ciphertext character 7 to represent the plaintext letter A on both occasions, despite neither communication having been publicly released. One could argue that the two authors had to be one individual.

The 148 character cipher used the ciphertext character 3, with the Albany cipher continuing the theme with 4, 5 and 7. By connecting the message in the 148 character cipher and letter from (probably) May 1971 to the contents of the 340 character cipher unearthed by Dave Oranchak, Sam Blake and Jarl Van Eycke in 2020 (which in 1971 was unbroken), it becomes possible to authenticate both the 1971 and 1973 letters, if the connections argued above have met the threshold of proof in your eyes If not, then the article you have just read has been 5 minutes of your life wasted, for which I sincerely apologize. See The Zodiac Killer's Seventh Cipher/Code.

Rubislaw32 link

5/4/2024 12:37:50 pm

It;'s certainly worth ''entering the fray'' with a piece such as this, Richard, and ''more than'' worth 5 minutes of anyone's time interested in the Zodiac case. Kudos to you.

Just two general observations: Interesting (or not ?) that the quality of the Albany cryptogram photocopying is significantly inferior to the ''letter writing'' that accompanies it. The cryptogram '' played around with'' ?. The jury is out, I would say.

If we include the ''full stop'' symbol and the ''arrow'' symbol, that which is presented to us of the Albany cryptogram - is a ''Z52''. Z52 ? infers that the Zodiac originally planned the cryptogram as a grid of 4 rows of 13 columns. I believe this, and that its solution is completely different to the popularly held ''partial solution'' generally touted.

The Fairfield Z38 could be a ''Z39''. (3 X 13). The Celebrity Cipher probably is a Z65 (5 X 13). The My name is --- cipher is a Z13 (1 X 13). And, the Z263 appears to end up as a Z273 (21 X 13), in order to derive a riddle solution.

''13'' - a magic ''column'' number, for the Cipher Slayer ?

Richard

5/4/2024 01:57:51 pm

Yes, it's terrible quality - either because of reproduction or it was created in haste. Although the latter seems unlikely if he spotted the newspaper article on its release date (which he may not of). The ciphertext character producing the "E" in beginning almost looks like an afterthought. The Fairfield being 39 would ruin my solution so I'm digging my heels in there Rubislaw. As for the Stamford, Connecticut letters we have Shauna McCarthy and Christa Taylor identified from the yearbook and the likely classmate identified by Mike Morford. For me, personally, I've never considered the 1988 ciphers from Zodiac.

Richard

5/4/2024 02:22:33 pm

Any ideas for the 12 letter name Rubislaw? It seems Connie I Henly does not exist in Albany.

Rubislaw32 link

5/4/2024 02:42:00 pm

Interesting you should ask, Richard.

I've moved away from the popularly held ''partial solution'', and believe that the Albany cryptogram solution starts:

WILLIAM ROGERS

The ''actual'' William Rogers was a US Attorney General, tasked with sorting out racial trouble in schools in Arkansas.

But...it could also be the start of a message:

''Will, I am Rogers......''.

So - ''each to his own'', one might say ?

Rubislw32 link

5/4/2024 05:07:44 pm

Personally, I think you may well be right in thinking that the Zodiac read the newspaper article from The Daily News. But, this might depend on whether the article was among scores that would have been syndicated to one of a number of newspapers geared to international readership.

Only, because I think the Zodiac was work- posted in France, at the time, with the delivery of his Albany letter & cryptogram the first thing he did on his return to US mainland, August 1st 1973. The missive ''pre- prepared''.

Rubislaw32 link

5/4/2024 05:41:41 pm

If the Albany letter and cryptogram was the Zodiac's first missive, back from France - what was the Zodiac's last missive, before leaving for France ?

Look no further than ''A Rich Man'' aka D B Cooper the letter writer, March 28th 1972 :

''....I am not dead but really alive, and just back from the Bahamas...tell the lackey cops D B Cooper is not my real name. Sincerely, A Rich Man.''.

Hence (?), the Zodiac's official work stint in France, March 28th 1972 - August 1st 1973.

Rubislaw32 link

5/4/2024 06:57:07 pm

Yes - I do think it was just a visit to ''The nice town of Albany'' - then he made his way back to his primary home in Los Angeles.

The Daily News were ruminating on what had happened to the Zodiac. And, the ''A Rich Man'' letter answers this:

'' I am going around the world and they will never find me.''.

Well, it was only France - but we get the picture ?.

Rubislaw32 link

5/5/2024 02:08:01 pm

I'll post my full reassessed solution to the Albany cryptogram, Richard.

But really, I'm not presuming anyone to read anything into it, Bar a couple of symbols that look dodgy on photocopied presentation, the solution is homophonic, with no transposition:

WILL I AM ROGERS
ARKANSAS AT WAR
WALMART MOTHER
SAMUEL WALTONS

Two general points: William Rogers was tasked by US Govt with sorting out racial problems in schools. At that 1973 time, Samuel Walton, the founder of Walmart, was thought to be the wealthiest man in America.

And thirdly, I previously believed that the Zodiac's mother worked for Woolworth. I think now, she may have worked for Walmart.

Rubislaw32 link

5/5/2024 02:39:05 pm

Ah...the first Walmart store was opened by Samuel Walton, in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962.

Maybe the Zodiac is proud that his upbringing was paid for, by his mother's hard-earned wages from Walmart ?

Richard

5/5/2024 04:01:33 pm

Do you know who decoded the Albany letter originally to "Albany Medical Center this only the beginning".

Richard

5/5/2024 04:11:43 pm

I remember Dave Oranchak saying something like a cryptogram requires at least 33 characters or more to pretty much verify a singular solution. The Albany cipher has 39 without the unsolved 12 at the beginning. I may contact him to verify this.

Rubislaw32 link

5/5/2024 05:03:39 pm

One thing I believe we can be sure of is, that regardless of anything the FBI may (or may not) have done to the Albany cryptogram - the CA DOJ will know the cryptogram in its original form.

Rubislaw32 link

5/5/2024 04:39:54 pm

As far as I am aware, Dan Olson shared what is available to the general public with Dave Oranchak at a cryptology conference, that they attended together.

So ''technically'' the ''incomplete solution'' is an FBI leak, via Dave Oranchak.

I'm no longer bothered about any possible controversies over my cipher solutions. For what I am aware now is. that CA DOJ side with me, And, CA DOJ are case custodians, and the one's who will prosecute the the Zodiac for his California murders, if brought to justice.

The FBI have been sidelined from the case all together, and merely put up pretences otherwise, to save face over their humiliation.

Rubislaw32 link

5/6/2024 01:26:07 am

''In fact'' - the FBI haven't played a legitimate role in the case of the Zodiac Killer, since 2015, when FBI Director James Comey blotted his copybook, by acting outside legal boundaries, and undermining the principles of National Security.

But, Z-followers and Z-contributors in particular, are free to make up their own minds about this sort of case ''Intrigue''. In a parallel universe, it might be considered ''hilarious'' - but in the real world, a serious business.

Suffice to say that ''to date'' on the victims side of things, I believe Reet Jurvetson is the 6th California ''probable''. With Joan Webster, the Harvard graduate and socialite - a Massachusetts ''definite''.

Rubislaw32 link

5/6/2024 01:42:51 am

Naturally - Reet Jurvetson is '' all power'' to chances of authenticity of the May 2nd 1978 (channel 9) letter. Never been a doubt in my mind about that letter. Arguably, the most interesting letter (and envelope), the Zodiac ever wrote ?

The Zodiac was certainly still sore over the suppression of the San Jose letter & cryptogram of November 21st 1969. A long time to be sore.

Rubislaw32 link

5/6/2024 08:11:28 am

A candidate for the funniest retorts by the Zodiac ?

On the envelope of the May 2nd 1978 letter:

1234567 AGCGTH. (The Zodiac to FBI): '' Are you jokers trying to tell me you can't even count up to 8 ?''.

Suppression of the Zodiac's ''8th victim claim'' was a wound that still aggravated after more than 8 years.

Rubislaw32 link

5/6/2024 12:24:41 pm

Daily News July 22nd 1973: ''...he's in jail, or in a mental hospital or just dead.''.

Albany letter August 1st 1973: ''...you were wrong. I am not dead or in the hospital.''.

10 days to have his cryptogram ready - and in answer to the article's title: A code for murder.

Looks a ''slam dunk'', and you are right, Richard.

So, was the Zodiac's ''reasoning for murder'' : I AM ROGERS ARKANSAS AT WAR ? Identifying himself by the address of the first Walmart store in 1962 ?

A bit surreal - but possible. After all, the Zodiac had already made his ''pending threat'' in the letter accompanying the cryptogram.

Did Dan Olson slip Dave Oranchak a ''bit of a dummy'' part solution. One, that CA DOJ would know FBI had done ?

Rubislaw32 link

5/6/2024 01:09:09 pm

In the next 20 years, Walmart was to expand to almost 2.000 such stores.

So, was Samuel Walton's ''WALMART MOTHER'' simply the Rogers. Arkansas store that spawned an empire of stores ?

The ''Mother'' store.

Mike

5/4/2024 01:32:50 pm

Haha, no need for apologies Richard—another interesting read!

The Albany Letter is near and dear to my heart as I Iived there from 1972 to 1990—and absolutely no one before, during, or since, has referred to it as a "Nice Town".

Richard

5/4/2024 02:03:11 pm

Can't be worse than Coventry. However, the most famous thing to come out of my town was the inventor of the jet engine, Frank Whittle. So we're good for something Mike. You can thank Coventry the next time you holiday in England.

Mike

5/4/2024 02:08:19 pm

So funny. Will do!

Drew

5/4/2024 06:51:30 pm

Hi Richard, for what it’s worth, for all of the reasons you’ve outlined (and I think we have discussed this privately as well), I agree that they were written by the same author. Additionally, the timing and phrasing of Kermit’s article leaves little doubt for me what prompted the Albany letter. I’m not sure it was Zodiac or some other bag of garbage hoping to scare people but the evidence of one sender here is strong.

PS - Hi Mike! Hi Rubislaw!

Rubislaw32 link

5/4/2024 07:07:54 pm

Hi Drew - and excellent to see you still subjecting yourself to the enigmatic phenomena of the Zodiac.

Neil Young: ''Words between the lines of age.''.

Best wishes.

Richard

5/4/2024 11:18:52 pm

The reason I believe they are Zodiac is in the linked article and the Monticello card. Also the latest find of the gravestone, which was probably the most satisfying find to date. Irrespective of that, we all have different thresholds that sway us one way or another. I certainly don't expect or want people to always agree with me, just be objective. Some people in the Zodiac scene just constantly insult and disagree with others, not because of what they produce, but because of who they are. Identity politics, if you will. We all know which people I mean. Are you enjoying the Citizen Detective podcast Drew, I tune in every two weeks, but can't make it live. Even the scrum, despite not being a member. Should that be possible? What is coming up?

Drew

5/5/2024 10:36:14 am

I think there is a reasonable chance that both are from Zodiac, more so than the other outlier communications. The effort put forth is compelling indeed, especially if we can “conclude” that they were from the same sender years apart. Two issues I have with them though are the materials and cipher presentations.

Morrill has stated (presumably not hyperbolically) that all of the “authenticated” letters from 69-74 were on monarch cut Woolworth stock and that was not publicized. If Morrill is accurate that zodiac was still using that paper in the Exorcist then it seems a strike against their legitimacy that these earlier correspondence were not. No known follow up communications were sent when they were not printed either, which I would expect a thwarted Zodiac to do. Of course he may have though… Perhaps like with the Fairfield letters and ciphers he possibly learned once he did not get published that he had to use those materials to convince authorities. That seems more than possible. Had he written either of these on Monarch I would fully accept their authenticity.

The other issue for me is simply my own bias. I see Zodiac taking pride in the neat organized manner in which he presented his ciphers (even if the actual encoding was as slapdash as his text). While his writing was likely intentionally chaotic to enhance his unhinged persona the ciphers I believe were intended to evoke a more capable calculating militaristic and deadly predator. Just as he wanted his bomb plans to be taken seriously I think he wanted to give his ciphers an air of sophistication. For perhaps the same reason he chose an elaborate costume at the lake rather than a ski mask in my view he wanted to brand his ciphers so they would seem elevated, special, personalized. So I’m sitting fence but leaning more on the side of a scoundrel hoaxer.

I’m so pleased that you have been enjoying citizen detective! This latest series about the Oakland County Child Murders really took a tole on me. The pure evil of it all really sickens me. Working with these serious true crime professionals, my eyes have become perhaps too open to the darkness in the world. I need to bleach my brain with silliness after every show. I’m honestly not sure what is next as it is truly my partners (especially our researcher/writer Alex Ralph) that do all of the real work. My hope is that we can take on some more modern cases with the cooperation of authorities and actually have a chance to make some progress. It’s always about access to the files. So much gets lost in these cases and we are often left with more questions than answers.

Cheers Richard

Richard

5/5/2024 03:56:56 pm

Thanks for the comprehensive reply Drew, I guess it boils down to how much importance we place on the consistency of writing paper chosen by Zodiac, or otherwise. I suppose one factor that could change his writing material is the location he mailed the correspondence from and the accessibility to his usual brand paper. We know he changed his MO for each crime, and switched between cards and letters, so is a consistency of brand paper a prerequisite to deciding a genuine letter from a hoax? Or at least an influence on our thinking. Although it certainly is important to factor this consistency into an otherwise inconsistent Zodiac Killer. Some things, like the choice of writing paper, is likely a subconscious choice - a bit like I argued for Vallejo as his home resistance by pointing out his use of past and present tense wording in the July 31st letters - which may have been chosen subconsciously. A bit like his choice of "In answer to your asking for more details about the good times I have had in Vallejo" rather than "In answer to your asking for more details about the good times I had in Vallejo". "Have had" implies something ongoing rather than finalization.

In terms of his "scruffy" ciphers, I remember there was a shift in the Zodiac Killer's communications subsequent to the KPIX interview with Captain Martin Lee on November 12th 1969. The police chief stated "I think the rambling, careless appearance of his notes is also a disguise. The cryptograms when he makes them can be absolute works of art as far as alignment both vertically and horizontally and space between the characters is concerned. I think that goes more toward the true picture of a man than the rambling notes that we've gotten". Captain Martin Lee believed the organized cryptograms structured like "works of art" were more toward the true picture of the Zodiac Killer. The next letter to a San Francisco newspaper was the scruffy cipher mailed on December 7th 1969, which was anything but a work of art. Whether this was deliberate however, is open to debate. I think the biggest selling point for the authenticity of these Fairfield letters is your well reasoned argument of the wilful choice of the author to break up the "near Zodiac" to spell "death", just like the decoded 340. I agree that consistently immersing oneself in murder 24/7 does have a toll on the mind. It's important to step away from time to time. But you are doing a great job on the Citizen Detective podcast. I just wish you would appear in the debates and discussions, because you have a lot to offer.

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A DEEP DIVE INTO THE ALBANY LETTER AND CODE

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