Enigma.
enigma

Yes. As my idiot sister had discovered, the Fifth Column is still using the World War II "Enigma" ciper for their communications. Apparently they don't realize that that code was broken back in the 1940's. (At first I thought that maybe this was a trap, and that they intended for their messages to be read. But then I remembered some of the Fifth Column's appearances on "The Jerry Springer Show", and I realized that they really are just that ignorant.)

In fact, their version of "Enigma" is even easier to break than the old one. The latest machine preserves spaces and punctuation, and it doesn't change lowercase letters to uppercase. Also, the alphabet rings can't be rotated relative to the carry notch, so that's one less variable we need to worry about.

If you'd like some more information about the workings of the Enigma Machine, WW II Codes and Ciphers is a good place to start.

I've obtained a Fifth Column document that I think you'll find interesting. You can decode it using some Enigma software I've set up; click here to bring the program up in a new window.

Here are the settings you should use:

  • Rotor order: 254
  • Reflector: C
  • Stecker Pairs: CO LU MN FI VE
  • Rotor Setting: ILS

Encoded message text follows: 

Bj: Mzie Fjkeiyg
Lzkc: Gnbzfhltumwnmgp Pdufg, Hvhqdww Etpk
Kc: Sthppbg S

Pw zp za rwa xfuq ub hrlpvy epa jjfa mnz eubkuye ljdme Errw vzj
csvvnwo ghq izytsa bhe uyl Swgj Wfum gne Wkvtmsh Llnxvpppc. Rvex
eo tgqdcf lvq cf lcs kbbkznha it Dlexhosvrktrdyfl Bktacgv.

Ihhpp xxv bbtpy lx Cem Fauwcav, uvn kapviqiz sd hdm dahoiv Uudrwd mmvsig,
nxy gwh ulpurpq ym Vefd'y "Ikam" xlplqxcugew, Gqxlvjitwysjxucv Fsukpij 
gkcx xdkz lw feq wvcm kp odnib Twuj ov nszpnd pm Qjpbtwm Toyn. Vivuppc, 
Aiar'e omynxl eugrmmnttyx ("Tphzazevhv") xhd xfxsjunf v dyf aq 
ldvklhynceyrwl czewxvafh orv Mjsp Uuoz. Nlinl lkkiddqgkqnneo bjka 
qyooecozoxc lhwz Wkq Kvzkeho...qebh gaukz wl jnao honwfqg xqaaq vvmoe Fyd 
Ctfkhcs'r qzkg. (Ijbyxu Uybhnyk mtdrgq pym aarhs veqscf mkvqx, hxhzk 
yxatut'y fwuhuyfv px tm ebh.)

Hjwkij xw jrb gbf ydhfnzwnti, Xiitcsd nfyly it "Ariwzhnzihgcxjk Lasnd"
gl ktwot ld tvyo zakqobrcdxbhue ji Podf ttx wmpa bms wcj czl qdpmb.
Llqrsug, flw crhn ycnn yfthfxl eh trifthm Dqcftlt Meod tqrrvl, hsys
wwuywzw "Ifdwkl Jzwxmjgxb". Lv wdam zcuhawp sugug, Fbspdhn clinsk su
gcqkdf qko aa xjg hohptqp iwcsdf cjcmftu Nrcq, tb vme dij zjdpd lbcu
sq'o fvlqbebkf jr cna Sysuk Hrdtos. (Ol mqerkhnw, "Tpzgidezjrmenys"
jt q brpabl cbhibz ojgbghkvgli vg dyb "Ajkuccamhzqlprbzt" yowc, sqzfu
Ravsexr mpg'k zdnlqioa vv rbbyz, wq lc iya vwtpilqb mpo "tnypqlrrdmcqt
hc vjrzvpf" yp hai zhdc ys xgqolt to'c ejhzwpnzo.)

Ztjh jhmilgnvs icj gyxhsgl, Znlwjyp fmhfphs mx ttgyk Gzpe'm swtdqsbh
dgpw 2-Aamwzizhiohaikgcx 4-ooqosnngqzwdq uwjer-wkojykyz. Fjoim lbq 
Jumcvqb Bkhuoxg sdbbrydu ybic jebresb yvnn kiin kvovv bbmgbb zm bgryo, 
ag svlepts dc fouh bzg r qmxr-blpq. Rngx egegvx cwe n ctclh kwsfef
lo objmpfkgw lqq eve qrf zjcyalv k cxvqeijwh tmuz dk waensw wd ubt
lbkdmdqimr kqmflcuezcg exwykt. Thwkyso wzy pq gfm jqje bd xzzvtwaozv
weuotymiolxxoia xa hlc Fxuxkhk Udhpzjf.

Bfcfx Xffi't ekqztvbw hrv ce dpsaba wm gzklwc, cq wdun cu tafqkn rcxb
rfa mrwmk cd Tmtmjae Rjgk, qbtam xz dme tpqr zyn outid cxvygvmrdfso.
Xv'kb zlyoz cwecfxy iit kunoygo wp pez algn, ykk ptv motgko bkote ic
sxakjcxj, hhtumlp ifoojvnfzow eljhrm gx yjpedaha laa zqbmtlglr xk isi
kqvszoy. Ld eqdnni, txfrbfr wkd sz qhe zr zbommq, dp mwom ib uvlbu'm
f bfhtdaxijcj imba clq'fr pwpl gn wx yvz fap Ylph puql pj'kn qcyhhpt.

Otibzas, noe ffgc goc vy owythpt...A'o xoufsqj niet wgu vscnkv iqfn
q vni zgvwthebm nzjmewoy qlbzs oakd Evdsnap Ommqzletr oj esvylxl
wvuhfiomofhl zpct faq tppgv sw nig Ydqdc Qtxktc. Ne kmvxf swxdmn xha
xmmc, jxxp czyz mkwd wp wypwz Sdgl ze gwxenj pno Rrzf Trvd, uz lgkkl
rxxx qlo'sc xcr dnnx li rpfs mqqcar ml nli Ufqecjgqyp bui cpmr ls-hstt
ya gucc x ptd kbw uo jqaf, wqqovplehjt rce zyh pejp zg'ht fypg af
zznhc ofr.

Kol cngmrmic vtiozf cx umduhb:
* Jglz cvxb cn jqla kzxfn ovvzfzywlldo.
* Fgkztdgu Ldxvvjb mmus fgatlglebj agkl wtk scznxrgm tb czilfhoik
yxysuzph znemsgo Uwmlzzf Lbofnzspd.
* Nejpsrgoxpesjqkg Rrsvzjw lhqg rh jzfgs h kres vysba-pghsjin
cwf wsis zeaoapov.
* O yxusrw dygds rcyn hu drdpdm ql cnyc kpen "Plhjqg Qcferlnpm";
yy'e gbmw l mcvnr fx vsv ulagu rkq mij frkn tcg vx'l vgho qo qtnj
iyvnce.
* Rjrkxehoha loos ct wtbkvepe dv yzfvt nsk ruoyhtdp "Vmt Emesobj".
* Dg'c ojuu qh lc isudsjmvg fpxf mv'sp awbfrtz kbc Zxflec Zrs lv cvw
Acstvzdyo Ftamv, bbstm Szrg yyfk bn jmpl iy cyiknp. Xpq dglchgrvn
sfqqwdow srtns ckrh wpg benmg, tw R'ni zlj iwp Plc txfps hq tzz cta
hsicrhr xb mju Jvyzmjp Ezatgdao.

Ipxy Xsrwege,

---Qixitwfyiqnibgb Pahqe

QA - R zsmz spacg wjj wdrz 100,000 jexdynoud jo thqqegt uyuv goc
wyabozwv. Txyhevf eogmuhhv qosrihqwe bu qz mejqunu mjg mixqjkih bvfgp.
Anum H kcvzmadihr vjf sofns nc, ur ltxogl aowkar hbv edxicfmjp pe ach
ceoaw, ysq qzpq tj lwp dni esvxtnjx dh ehfrhcq xuwd R nyih zdp psjpn
wepmfh. Og ta eqygrkvpet doxoharazwov. K'hp dqqfn iff ithcc llk qcj pjxzv
eywsdjizqqd pv dyk dlkmscx dveqtam ago.