ZODIAC CIPHERS
Richard Grinell, Coventry, England
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THE 340 KEY TO 888

6/19/2013

 
THE 340 CIPHER WAS CRACKED ON DECEMBER 3RD 2020 BY DAVE ORANCHAK, SAM BLAKE AND JARL VAN EYCKE, SO THIS EARLIER ARTICLE SHOULD BE VIEWED IN RESPECT TO RECENT DEVELOPMENTS.

The 340 cipher has confounded all attempts at decryption during the preceding 44 years. Five months after the November 8th Dripping Pen card and 340 character cipher, on April 20th 1970, the Zodiac Killer mailed the My Name is Cipher, stating "This is the Zodiac speaking. By the way have you cracked the last cipher I sent you. My name is....." 
 
Based on his wording in the cracked 408 cipher: "I will not give you my name because you will try to slow down or stop my collecting of slaves for my afterlife", it may be possible he signed off the 340 cipher with a phrase something like "I will not tell you who the Zodiac is", bearing in mind the positioning and appearance of the symbols on the last line.

We know that he placed what appeared to be three circled 8's on the 13 Symbol cipher, but why did he circle them? Was it to highlight the fact they had increased significance? In a previous article we highlighted the symmetry contained within the 13 Symbol cipher.  https://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/the-symmetry-of-the-13-symbol-cipher
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On the right we have lined up the alphabet over the top of the cipher. Now calculate numerically the difference in each column. ie: C to N produces a difference of 11, whereas B to E produces a difference of 3. Non alphabetical symbols cannot produce a difference, so a zero is inserted. The resulting numbers produced have been color coded. The red section is before the first circled 8, the green section is after the last circled 8 and the blue section spans the first and last circled 8. Notice the perfect symmetry. The red and green numbers are identical, read forwards or backwards and the blue numbers again read identically in either direction, producing a mirror image. Is this a coincidence or is it by design?

So can we generate the same symmetry from the only apparent reference to the name ZODIAC on the final line of the 340 cipher, to provide us with that seamless link.
We will use the identical technique featured above, by alphabetically counting the numerical difference between the letters in the cipher and the key chosen. In this case, the key is the killer's pseudonym ZODIAC, because it is without doubt the most significant marker he placed on the 340 cipher - and it is difficult to believe he placed the 'near Zodiac'on the final line by sheer accident during the construction of the cipher. 

If we then count alphabetically, the numerical difference between the columns, ZOD produces no difference between the columns. ie: 000. The IAC element produces the numerical difference 888. The Zodiac Killer possibly took the 000 and 888, and incorporated these elements, in the form of three circled 8's into his following 13 Symbol cipher on April 20th 1970. Even the crossed circle and inverted Aries were carried forward. But is this proof of a link?

888 is a unique number, explained here in Wikipedia. In Christian numerology, the number 888 represents Jesus, or sometimes more specifically Christ the Redeemer. This representation may be justified either through gematria, by counting the letter values of the Greek transliteration of Jesus' name, or as an opposing value to 666, the number of the beast. In Chinese numerology, 888 has a different meaning, triple fortune, a strengthening of the meaning of the digit 8. For this reason, addresses and phone numbers containing the digit sequence 888 are considered particularly lucky, and may command a premium because of it. 
Connor link
12/12/2013 11:21:09 pm

The killer leaves hints in his letters by misspelling words because he wants to get caught. all he wants is attention. if he didn't want someone to solve the ciphers he would right them in plain English. HE WANTS ATTENTION. I have noticed this, just trust me

Capt Obvious
2/26/2014 02:02:45 am

So?

Robin Smith
2/28/2015 03:00:25 am

Sew buttons.

SCOUT69
1/6/2016 12:48:06 pm

WORNG!

Thelonius
2/7/2015 03:20:33 am

I'm a little confused, for more than one reason. The garish banner that linked me here gave the title as "The 340 key to 888". I didn't realize we were trying to find a key to 888 - I thought that the goal for Zodiac researchers would be to unlock the 340 cipher. Are we talking about a key to 340, or to 888?
The bottom of the banner then reads, "Unlocking the 340 cipher". That sounded somewhat promising. Imagine my disappointment at the yawning gulf between this bold claim and what the article actually attempted, which wasn't much. The only conclusion that can be mustered is "But is this proof of a link.
The answer is no, but curious all the same.". My mistake, I thought there might be a point to all of this.

Your website does present a lot of useful information on the case. I would suggest not watering down the rest of your content with these kind of filler pages. I am tempted to elaborate on the sheer frivolity of this line of reasoning ("The Zodiac gave us a clue to his name - it's 'Zodiac!'), but I think the joke would be on me. I see no evidence that the author believed even half-heartedly that there was any real significance to any of this, so I will not take it seriously either.

Robin Smith
2/9/2015 06:19:00 am

Thelonius, "Your website does present a lot of useful information on the case."

PRECISELY!....and thank you for it Richard, as my pea brain will N0t go there :).

I'll be back

Robin Smth
2/28/2015 03:56:59 am

("The Zodiac gave us a clue to his name - it's 'Zodiac'), but I think the joke would be o me.

Zodiac is an 0peration name...COS, MANSON AND THE MOB..the FBI is all over this and the Games begin...copy cat murders to misdirect police....

The murders had numerous disparate motives all which served to benefit ZODIAC the 0peration..

Cheri Jo Bates, Darlene Ferrin, Paul Stein and any murder Z claimed ...connection any of these particular murders would lead to Bruce Davis, Larry Kane and the FBI, L Ron Hubbard and SF Mayor Joe Alioto...Manson was always the intended PATSY...

When Manson was in Leavenworth and one of his mates called him a "stinky" little car thief.

SCOUT69
1/6/2016 12:52:11 pm

WRONG! ZODIAC IS ONE SOLO KILLER AND NOT CONECTION WITH THE F.B.I. OR SAN FRANCISCO POLICE DEPARMENT OR FORMER MAYOR............THE TRANSLATION IS WRONG BUT IS MEAN A LOT..................

SCOUT69
1/6/2016 12:54:01 pm

MY NAME IS.......................IS TRANSLATED WRONG IS HARDER TO TRANSLATED BECAUSE ZODIAC MADE UNBREKABLE THE FIRST IS OK BUT STILL NOT COMPLITED AND THE SECOND MEAN NOTHING! ZODIAC SAY SO................YOU GUYS PAY MOR ATTENTION ZODAIC LANGUAGE..........CAN YOU HANDLE...,..

/////
6/25/2018 01:01:40 pm

HellO

Jaiyd Em B
1/29/2016 02:27:36 pm

The letters seem to be a Japanese name if the name was spelled how it sounds but I get the name Allen as a first name but i can't decode the way the last name would be if you were to put more letters in and replace the symbols with letters the ones shaped differently can be made into common letters of the english language by reshaping the lines and edges by re facing them but i have a feeling that he could be dead.

PiratesMaterials link
3/24/2016 02:47:46 pm

It's a birthday 8/13/48 . 8 x 13 = (104 ) 10,4

Jeremy Northwest
7/31/2016 04:59:23 pm

The Halloween card symbol is the key to the ciphers: www.zodiackillersolution.org

Ray Jenkins
10/30/2017 09:19:51 pm

As the mathematicians will tell us, this cipher is far too short to have any reliably accurate solution.

Having said that, I once produced a fairly convincing solution using those rotating 8's to come up with the name Allen Leigh repeated over and over. Well, I thought it looked convincing anyway! Basically I centered the cipher in an Excel page, then found the repeating letters. Much to my own surprise the whole thing repeated the name "Allen Leigh" over and over again, in both a vertical and horizontal direction. The funny thing is I have never considered Allen Leigh to be a very good Zodiac suspect!

But really this cipher could say just about anything, and if we include anagrams as a legitimate kind of cipher, we could make just about any name fit.

I have made several names fit so far including Ted Kaczynski, Dennis Rader, and Herb Baumeister.

The symbols in that cipher are just so open to interpretation, and there are few clues available to provide any help. Unless it ties in with the 340 somehow, I remain unconvinced that this cipher can be solved, presuming it was ever intended to be solvable.

afergy
4/26/2018 07:19:17 pm

Ray Jenkins - I did the same with my prime suspect and got the same result - the name repeats in plain text as well as connect-the-letters formats. Dave Oranchak more or less explained to me that any name could be plugged in, but that was hard for me to believe. I would love to see your solve using Allen Leigh and am excited that you had the same thought.

MrMojoRisin
10/14/2019 12:53:24 pm

Arthur Leigh Allen was one of the prime suspects but somehow was taken out from DNA in 2004, that could of been anyone’s DNA as they tested the outside of the stamp not the inside where the killer may have left partial DNA. Also in case the murder of Cheri Jo Bates at Riverside college the handwriting on the desk match “zodiacs” and was initialed “RH” I was always wondering if this was his true initials, anagram or just another dead end. You guys brought some interesting information. Has anybody thought that it was more than one man perhaps. One writing and one executing the crimes? Throwing police off by initially having one man take credit would be an amazing way to throw Police off any potential looking for more than one handwriting as some letters did not match zodiacs hand. Similar but definitely sometimes did not seem like it was same man at times.


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    The Zodiac Killer may have given us the answer almost word-for-word when he wrote PS. The Mt. Diablo Code concerns Radians & # inches along the radians. The code solution identified was Estimate: Four Radians and Five Inches To read more, click the image.
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