Vigenère Copperplate

"The greatest chart we have for decoding is the Rosetta Stone.  Cracking that code gave us the ability to understand an ancient language.  What the CIA does now, as far as encoding and decoding, is a very similar kind of sleuthing: word sleuthing as opposed to physical sleuthing.  The method of encoding and decoding that I use, called Vigenère Tableau, is ancient.  It was invented by the French diplomat Blaise de Vigenère in 1525.  It isn't as simple as Morse code and it isn't as complex as Sanskrit, but it's still very well loved by contemporary cryptographers because it's a classic, elegant system." "On the paved surface, supported by a petrified tree, will stand a curved, vertical copper plate.  Approximately 2000 letters of the alphabet are cut through this plate (a process which requires four months of work).  The left side of the plate is a table for deciphering and enciphering code..." "The right side is a text that can be partly deciphered by using the table and partly by using a potentially challenging encoding system.  The text, written in collaboration with a prominent fiction writer, is revealed only after the code is deciphered." "Once the plate is deciphered I'm not convinced the true meaning will be clear even then. There's another deeper mystery."   EMUFPHZLRFAXYUSDJKZLDKRNSHGNFIVJ YQTQUXQBQVYUVLLTREVJYQTMKYRDMFD VFPJUDEEHZWETZYVGWHKKQETGFQJNCE GGWHKK?DQMCPFQZDQMMIAGPFXHQRLG TIMVMZJANQLVKQEDAGDVFRPJUNGEUNA QZGZLECGYUXUEENJTBJLBQCRTBJDFHRR YIZETKZEMVDUFKSJHKFWHKUWQLSZFTI HHDDDUVH?DWKBFUFPWNTDFIYCUQZERE EVLDKFEZMOQQJLTTUGSYQPFEUNLAVIDX FLGGTEZ?FKZBSFDQVGOGIPUFXHHDRKF FHQNTGPUAECNUVPDJMQCLQUMUNEDFQ ELZZVRRGKFFVOEEXBDMVPNFQXEZLGRE DNQFMPNZGLFLPMRJQYALMGNUVPDXVKP DQUMEBEDMHDAFMJGZNUPLGEWJLLAETG  ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCD AKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYP BRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPT CYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTO DPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOS ETOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSA FOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSAB GSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABC HABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCD IBCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDE JCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEF KDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFG LEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGH MFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHI ENDYAHROHNLSRHEOCPTEOIBIDYSHNAIA CHTNREYULDSLLSLLNOHSNOSMRWXMNE TPRNGATIHNRARPESLNNELEBLPIIACAE WMTWNDITEENRAHCTENEUDRETNHAEOE TFOLSEDTIWENHAEIOYTEYQHEENCTAYCR EIFTBRSPAMHHEWENATAMATEGYEERLB TEEFOASFIOTUETUAEOTOARMAEERTNRTI BSEDDNIAAHTTMSTEWPIEROAGRIEWFEB AECTDDHILCEIHSITEGOEAOSDDRYDLORIT RKLMLEHAGTDHARDPNEOHMGFMFEUHE ECDMRIPFEIMEHNLSSTTRTVDOHW?OBKR UOXOGHULBSOLIFBBWFLRVQQPRNGKSSO TWTQSJQSSEKZZWATJKLUDIAWINFBNYP VTTMZFPKWGDKZXTJCDIGKUHUAUEKCAR NGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJL OHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJL PIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLM QJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMN RLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQ SMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQU TNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUV UQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVW VUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWX WVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZ XWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZK YXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKR ZZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRY  ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCD Image courtesy of Elonka Dunin There are many intriguing aspects of this part of the sculpture worth noting.  The copperplate seems to be divided into quadrants.  The left side contains cipher text on a half-cylinder bowing out toward the viewer.  The right side contains a table, but the text is backward from this perspective.  The table half of the cylinder is bowing in, away from the viewer.  The two halves are connected, forming an S-shape when viewed from above. Image © Jim Gillogly The first line in the bottom half of the cipher text has the misaligned characters YA and R, and the first line in the bottom half on the table side has an extra L.  Some characters seem to be slightly indented and others raised from their positions in superscript.  It has also been noted that some characters may be inconsistently represented with variations in the typeface. The lettering has been completely cut through the verdigris copperplate allowing the scenery and light behind to show through.  This part of the sculpture can be seen from either side, rendering one or the other copperplate half's text backward. CIA's Web Site: The Story Behind "Kryptos" http://www.cia.gov/cia/information/tour/kryptos_code.html Washingtonpost.com: Cracking the Code of a CIA Sculpture http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/daily/july99/kryptos19.htm Kryptos: The Sanborn Sculpture at CIA Headquarters - John's Collected Kryptos Hints http://members.aol.com/SciRealm/KryptosHints.html